ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Emissions

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the target to reduce carbon emissions by 20% by 2010 was met.

Gregory Barker: The goal set by the previous Administration was for the UK to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide to 20% below 1990 levels by 2010. This related to emissions from the UK and our Crown Dependencies only, which represents a slightly different geographical coverage to both our current international (Kyoto Protocol) and domestic (carbon budgets) targets.
	We reported progress towards this goal in our annual National Statistics publications up to and including the February 2010 statistical release, which set out the results from our emissions inventory for 2008. This statistical release is still available on the DECC website at the following link:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/statistics/climate_change/1_20100202091108_e_@@_020210ghgnationalstatisticsrelease08f inalresults.pdf
	Since the 20% goal was a manifesto commitment set by the previous Administration, we no longer report progress against this under the current Administration. However, using the same basis as was used when we reported in February 2010, UK emissions of carbon dioxide in 2010 (net of removals from land use, land use change and forestry) were only 14.7% lower in 2010 than in 1990, significantly below the previous 20% target (down from 590.3 to 503.4 million tonnes). This includes an allowance for emissions trading and so is consistent with the approach used when reporting progress towards our existing targets.
	The introduction of carbon budgets under the Climate Change Act 2008 introduced a new domestic target for emissions reductions within the UK which effectively superseded the 2010 goal, and we have been reporting progress towards our carbon budgets since our February 2010 National Statistics publication. Carbon budgets cover emissions of all greenhouse gases, not just carbon dioxide, and have a geographical coverage which extends to just the UK, so not including our Crown Dependencies or Overseas Territories.
	On a carbon budgets basis, UK greenhouse gas emissions were 23.0% lower in 2010 than in the base year, down from 770.8 to 593.9 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent. The first carbon budget requires that total UK greenhouse gas emissions do not exceed 3,018 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent over the five-year period 2008-12, which is approximately 22% below the base year level on average over the period.
	Further details can be found in the February 2012 National Statistics release, which can be found on the DECC website at the following link:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/climate_stats/gg_emissions/uk_emissions/uk_emissions.aspx

Energy: Meters

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects to publish the conclusions on the proposed framework for smart metering data access and privacy.

Charles Hendry: The Government are considering responses received to our recent consultation. Subject to responses received and ongoing engagement with a range of stakeholders, the Government intend to publish a response to the consultation this autumn.

Energy: Meters

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to ensure that consumers in rural and remote areas are able to participate in the smart meter roll-out.

Charles Hendry: The Government will place regulatory obligations on energy suppliers that will require them to take all reasonable steps to install smart meters for all their domestic and smaller non-domestic customers by the completion date in 2019. This obligation will apply equally to customers in rural areas as to others. A key part of the process of procuring the communications services that will support the smart metering roll-out is evaluation of the ability to provide communications coverage to a variety of geographical locations and building types.

Environmental Protection: Employment

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many jobs he estimates (a) the Green Deal, (b) the Renewable Heat Incentive, (c) feed-in tariffs for micro-renewable and (d) the Green Investment Bank will generate.

Gregory Barker: The Government are committed to maximising the business and job opportunities that a move to a low-carbon economy will create. In 2010-11 the UK low-carbon and environmental goods and services (LCEGS) sector employed an estimated 940,000 people (up 2.8% on the previous year)(1). While an estimate of the net impact of polices on jobs across the economy has not been made and is very uncertain, some estimates have been made for the number of (gross) jobs policies will create in particular sectors:
	(1) Note:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/business-sectors/docs/l/12-p143-low-carbon-environmental-goods-and-services-2010-11.pdf
	(a) The estimated jobs impact for the Green Deal has been calculated alongside the Energy Company Obligation (ECO). External estimates by Innovas suggest that around 4.700 installers were employed in the insulation market in 2007-08, which covers loft and wall insulation, and another 22,000 were employed in the wider supply chain(2). Under the Green Deal and ECO this total is expected to rise to between 39,000 to 60,000 (full-time equivalent) jobs by 2015 supported by installation of the main household insulation measures (solid wall, cavity wall, loft and floor)(3). There are other measures that will be taken up as a result of the Green Deal and ECO but these have not been quantified for their employment impacts.
	(2) Note:
	Low Carbon and Environmental Goods and Services; an Industry Analysis; Innovas; 2009
	(3) Note:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/consultation/green-deal/5533-final-stage-impact-assessment-for-the-green-deal-a.pdf
	(b) DECC has not made any estimate of jobs related to the roll out of renewable heat. A heating industry exists already in the UK and it is likely that some jobs in that will gradually be converted to provide renewable heating.
	(c) The Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) scheme has already created business and job opportunities in green sectors of the economy. Estimates of the scale of the impact are very uncertain but DECC has published an estimate of the jobs associated with solar PV technologies supported under the FITs scheme(4)—there are currently no published estimates of the job impacts of non-solar PV eligible technologies. Table 1 gives the estimated range of new solar PV installations over the three-year period starting 1 April 2012 with estimates of associated jobs.
	(4) Note:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/meeting-energy-demand/renewable-energy/5391-impact-assessment-government-response-to-consulta.pdf
	
		
			 Table 1: Estimated full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs associated with solar PV for new installations projected between 2012-13 and 2014-15(1) 
			  2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2012-14 
			 New solar PV installations between 2012-14 140,000 to 250,000 170,000 to 340,000 170,000 to 330,000 480,000 to 920,000 
			 FTE jobs for all installations between 2012-14 10,000 to 20,000 10,000 to 30,000 10,000 to 30,000 30,000 to 80,000 
			 (1) The lower range of installations is based on a low-cost reduction assumption, and the higher range is based on a higher cost reduction assumption. The range of associated FTE jobs was estimated by apply a low estimate of FTE jobs per solar PV installation to the low estimate of installations. The high end of the range applies a high FTE jobs per installation estimate to the high uptake scenario. 
		
	
	(d) The creation of jobs is not one of the UKGIB's (Green Investment Bank) direct policy objectives. Therefore, no projections of job creation have been made. However, once fully operational, the Bank will be required to monitor the number of jobs its portfolio of investments generates and report such data to the Government on a regular basis.

Environmental Protection: South East

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to encourage green investment in the south-east.

Gregory Barker: holding answer 6 July 2012
	The Department for Business. Innovation and Skills (BIS) leads on UK green growth, and the Department of Energy and Climate Change works with BIS to encourage green investment.
	Government initiatives, such as the Regional Growth Fund (RGF), the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain (AMSC) fund and the work of UK Green Investment Bank plc are able to encourage investment across sectors and regions, including green or low carbon sectors in the south-east.
	The RGF supports projects and programmes that lever private sector investment creating economic growth and sustainable employment. It aims particularly to help those areas and communities currently dependent on the public sector to make the transition to sustainable private sector-led growth and prosperity.
	An additional £l billion has been allocated for a further round of the RGF; this takes the fund total to £2.4 billion.
	There have been several successful bids for the RGF in the south-east and the east of England, of which some include green projects.
	Furthermore, the Government announced in March that up to £3.5 million would be made available to train up to 1,000 advisors and installers in readiness for the Green Deal. Funding will be allocated across Great Britain, including in the south-east.

Green Deal Scheme

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he plans to take to ensure that Green Deal assessors provide impartial advice.

Gregory Barker: It is important that the advice provided by Green Deal advisers is completely impartial, no matter how they are being employed. All advisers will be bound by the Green Deal code of practice and standards in the specifications, which set out the expectations on all Green Deal advisers in terms of quality and impartiality of advice.
	Organisations providing a Green Deal advice service will have to ensure that all their contracted Green Deal advisers produce impartial assessments. In addition, the adviser certification bodies will verify that the Green Deal advisers certified by them, either directly or via an employer, have acted with impartiality as part of their ongoing surveillance function.

Pay

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the lowest hourly rate is paid to staff by his Department; how many members of staff based outside London are paid less than £7.20 per hour; and how many members of staff based in London are paid less than £8.30 per hour.

Gregory Barker: The lowest hourly rate of pay currently paid to a member of staff of the Department of Energy and Climate Change is £9.08 at 30 June 2012. The lowest amount that may be payable is £7.54 outside of London and £9.88 within London.

Wind Power

Nigel Adams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the report by Renewable UK entitled Onshore wind: Direct and Wider Economic Impacts, what assessment he has made of the finding that 10.9 GW of additional wind capacity is required to meet the Government's target for onshore wind. [R]

Charles Hendry: The joint DECC/RenewableUK report by BiGGAR Economics(1) does not draw conclusions about how much onshore wind might be needed to contribute to the UK's renewable energy target. It sets out four potential deployment scenarios(2) for 2020, ranging between 10 GW and 19 GW, and considers the impact that each of these would have on UK jobs and investment.
	In last year's Renewables Roadmap, the Government set out a central scenario of up to 13 GW onshore wind deployment in our energy mix by 2020 to maintain our energy security and to help meet our 2020 renewable targets.
	(1) The findings of the report are based on 18 case studies of experience on the ground and set out the gross impacts of commercial onshore wind development. A copy of the report is available at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/meeting-energy-demand/wind/5229-onshore-wind-direct--wider-economic-impacts.pdf
	(2) The scenarios were taken from the 2010 National Renewable Energy Action Plan, see:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/what%20we%20do/uk%20energy%20supply/energy%20mix/renewable%20energy/ored/25-nat-ren-energy-action-plan.pdf
	and the 2011 UK Renewable Energy Roadmap, see:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/meeting-energy-demand/renewable-energy/2167-uk-renewable-energy-roadmap.pdf

Wind Power

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much he has paid in compensation for non-production to wind farms in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12.

Charles Hendry: The Government have made no payments to wind farms in compensation for non-production.
	In order to ensure the secure operation of the electricity system, National Grid takes over a thousand actions each day to balance electricity supply and demand, including paying generators of all types to alter their output. The vast majority of these payments are made to fossil fuel generators, rather than wind farms. National Grid has advised that details of all Balancing Mechanism payments are published at:
	www.elexon.co.uk
	and
	www.bmreports.com
	The Renewables Obligation (RO) is currently the Government's main financial incentive for large-scale renewable electricity, including wind power. This requires supply companies to source a specified and annually increasing proportion of their electricity sales from eligible sources of renewable energy or pay a penalty. The RO is a generation-based subsidy, meaning support is granted for each MWh of electricity actually generated. A wind farm will therefore receive support only when it generates.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Enterprise Zones

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had on the introduction of enterprise zones in Northern Ireland; what the geographical size and nature of such zones will be; and if he will make a statement.

Owen Paterson: I have discussed enterprise zones with colleagues within Government and have urged the Northern Ireland Executive to consider the merits of establishing such zones. Enterprise zones are designed to promote growth and create jobs in designated areas, including by offering enhanced capital allowances to businesses in those enterprise zones which are in assisted areas.
	The Government have announced the creation of 24 enterprise zones in England. The Scottish Government have created four enterprise areas, and the Welsh Government have announced seven locations for their own enterprise zones, reflecting the priorities of those Administrations. The Northern Ireland Executive have not so far indicated that they intend to pursue an enterprise zone policy in Northern Ireland.

Lost Working Days

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average number of working days lost was per person in his Department in each of the last three years.

Owen Paterson: Comparable figures for the Department as it is now configured are not available for the years preceding the completion of devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010. During 2010-11 and 2011-12, the average number of working days lost per person was 12.1 and 10.3 respectively.

Omagh Support and Self-Help Group

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the recent report commissioned by the Omagh Support and Self-Help Group; and if he will make a statement.

Owen Paterson: I received the report from the Omagh Support and Self-Help Group on 18 June 2012 and I am currently considering its contents.

Omagh Support and Self-Help Group

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with the Minister for Justice in Northern Ireland about the recent report commissioned by the Omagh Support and Self-Help Group by the Omagh families; and if he will make a statement.

Owen Paterson: I have not yet discussed the contents of the report with the Justice Minister, David Ford. When I received a copy of the report from the Omagh Support and Self-Help Group, they made clear their desire to present a copy of the report to David Ford in person and discuss its contents with him prior to my own discussion with him, and I respect their wishes.

RTE

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent meetings he has had with his Irish counterpart to discuss the London bureau of Raidió Teilifís Éireann.

Owen Paterson: I have not been asked to participate in such a meeting. This is a matter for Radió Telefís Éireann.

WALES

Buildings

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, with reference to the answer of 6 February 2012, Official Report, column 40W, on departmental buildings, how much her Department spent on the Discovery House office in Cardiff Bay in each year since 2003.

David Jones: Although the Wales Office has leased space in Discovery House since March 2003, figures are available only from 2005-06 and are set out in the following table. Prior to this, the costs of the Cardiff office were not disaggregated.
	
		
			 £ 
			  Rent Rates Running costs 
			 2005-06 150,278 37,890 16,031 
			 2006-07 166,020 38,880 16,560 
			 2007-08 181,180 40,320 17,229 
			 2008-09 188,465 41,940 20,751 
			 2009-10 177.731 44,010 21.592 
			 2010-11 179,096 40,368 22,075 
			 2011-12 181,801 42,244 16,753 
		
	
	The rent paid includes service charges for utilities, security and waste disposal.

Public Sector: Pay

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of whether the pay of public sector workers in Wales would be likely to (a) increase, (b) decrease or (c) remain the same if proposals on regional pay are introduced;
	(2)  what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office on the potential effect of regional pay on public sector workers in Wales;
	(3)  what assessment she has made on the potential effect of regional pay on public sector workers in Wales.

Cheryl Gillan: Independent pay review bodies have been asked to consider how public sector pay can be more responsive to local labour markets and are expected to report shortly. It will then be for individual Departments, and the Welsh Government where pay arrangements are devolved, to introduce reforms if they choose to. Until formal proposals have been made it is not possible to assess the impact on particular areas.
	It is worth noting that the Ministry of Justice introduced localised pay under the previous Government.

Third Sector

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to the answer of 3 July 2012, Official Report, column 533W, on Third Sector, what the times, dates and attendees were of meetings that her Department has held on achieving that objective; if she will estimate the cost to the public purse of holding such meetings; what the outcomes of the meetings were; and if she will publish the agenda and attendees of the meeting of the Wales Office Big Society Advisory Forum on 12 July 2012.

David Jones: The big society has been raised with me on various occasions by a number of bodies and individuals, but meetings on that specific topic have been held with:
	
		
			 Date Organisations 
			 2011  
			 1 November Wales Council for Voluntary Action 
			 7 November Charity Bank 
			   
			 2012  
			 16 January Rhondda Life, the Wales Council for Voluntary Action, Charity Bank, Chwarae Teg, the Community Foundation in Wales, Jobcentre Plus, The Princes Trust, Newport City Homes, CREST Co-operative, Business in the Community, the Church in Wales, and the Reserve Forces and Cadet Association Wales. 
			 31 January ABCD Cymru 
			 7 February Social Business Trust 
			 30 April Cardiff Metropolitan University 
			 1 May Urdd 
		
	
	Such meetings fall within the usual duties of a Government Minister and are cost neutral to the public purse. The meetings were very helpful in informing the Government's vision of how the big society might be adopted in Wales and bringing together a network committed to embedding the principles underpinning that vision.
	With regards to the Wales Office Big Society Forum on 12 July, a communiqué will be issued following the meeting.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Arms Trade: Treaties

Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what priority he attaches to human rights criteria during UN negotiations on an arms trade treaty; and if he will take steps to ensure that criteria are included to prevent arms being supplied to a country if there is a substantial risk that those arms will contribute to serious human rights abuses.

Alistair Burt: The UK fully supports the inclusion of criteria on human rights in an arms trade treaty (ATT). In our national statement at the start of the negotiations in New York, we have called for the treaty to
	“help maintain international peace and security, whilst encouraging respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms”.
	The UK already operates a robust national export licensing system that requires mandatory refusal where we assess there is a clear risk that the equipment might be used for internal repression and we will be pressing for similar provisions in the ATT.

Burundi

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Burundi Government on the arrest of Hassan Ruvakiki, a journalist with Bonesha Radio.

Henry Bellingham: We share concerns about the length of the sentence given to Hassan Ruvakiki and, with EU partners, are seeking an early opportunity to raise this and the conduct of his trial with the Burundi Government.

Chambers of Commerce

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the British Chambers of Commerce on doubling exports by 2020.

Henry Bellingham: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and UK Trade and Investment regularly meet with individual businesses and business organisations to discuss a wide range of topics, including our ambition to double UK exports by 2020, as well as the support we can provide to UK exporters. FCO officials most recently met with the British Chambers of Commerce on 9 July 2012.

Egypt

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the new Government of Egypt.

Alistair Burt: The Prime Minister wrote to President Mursi on 24 June to congratulate him on his election success. He also stressed the need for a credible, free and fair process towards civilian rule.
	Throughout the transition we have been in regular contact with the political forces in Egypt, including members of the Muslim Brotherhood.
	We understand that consultations are under way to select members of the new Government, but we continue to plan ongoing contact with the Egyptian authorities.

Egypt

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of prospects for the protection of women's rights in Egypt.

Alistair Burt: I visited Cairo between 11 and 13 March 2012. In my meetings with the Egyptian Foreign Minister and contacts with political parties I emphasised that women's participation is a key part of supporting effective transitions and building stability.
	We were concerned by reports of assault and intimidation of women protesters, who were demanding an end to sexual harassment, as they demonstrated in Tahrir Square on 8 June 2012. We believe that women must be free to exercise their rights of freedom of expression and assembly in full equality.
	We continue to urge the Egyptian authorities to establish the conditions for inclusive politics and for the rights of women and minorities to be enshrined in the new constitution and in law.

Egypt

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of prospects for (a) democratic progress and (b) political stability in Egypt.

Alistair Burt: We welcome the peaceful conduct of the presidential elections and handover of power to President Mursi in Egypt. The next steps of the transition will be critical in moving towards full democratic governance. It is important that all political forces are allowed to participate freely and legitimately in the political process and that the new President and Government are bestowed full authority.
	The UK remains fully committed to supporting Egypt on its path to democracy and to promoting our common interests in security, stability and prosperity.

Egypt: Israel

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Egyptian counterpart on the Egypt-Israel peace treaty.

Alistair Burt: Throughout the period of transition we have pressed the Egyptian authorities to respect Egypt's existing international obligations.
	We want Egypt to continue to act as a force for regional peace and stability, including by maintaining a productive relationship with Israel. We were encouraged by Dr Muhammed Mursi's first speech as the new President of Egypt on 24 June 2012 in which he stated that Egypt would respect all international treaties and conventions already agreed by Egypt. We will continue to follow closely the development of the new Egyptian Government's foreign policy, including relations between Egypt and Israel.

Immigration

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on immigration to the UK.

Jeremy Browne: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the right hon. Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has regular discussions with his Cabinet colleagues on the full range of immigration issues, including UK visa policy and illegal migration.

Indonesia

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what funding and assistance his Department provided to the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation in the last year for which figures are available.

Jeremy Browne: In the financial year 2011-12, the UK's Counter Terrorism Programme provided in the region of £400,000 to support the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation to deliver a package of six different classroom-based training programmes. The training programmes share with the Indonesian National Police the UK experience in managing counter-terrorism investigations, preventing terrorist attacks and tracking down and prosecuting those who are responsible in a way that is compliant with international human rights law. We also deliver a regional course, bringing together senior law enforcement officers from around south-east Asia to focus on the co-ordination and management of multi-jurisdictional investigations aimed at disrupting terrorism and transnational crime.

Israel

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made any representations to the Government of Israel on the confiscation of UK-funded tents for villagers of Khirbet ar-Rahawa displaced by house demolitions.

Alistair Burt: We are aware of recent incidents where humanitarian goods, including those funded by the UN Humanitarian Response Fund (which the UK contributes to), have been confiscated by the Israeli authorities. This is unacceptable.
	The UK is working closely with the UN, humanitarian agencies and other donors in Jerusalem on this. We are collectively lobbing the Israeli authorities for the release of the confiscated goods.

Israel: Palestinians

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Palestinian Authority on rejoining direct peace talks with Israel without preconditions.

Alistair Burt: We and our EU partners have welcomed the recent efforts by the Palestinian and Israeli leadership to renew direct contacts. We have urged both sides to focus on dialogue, to avoid steps that could undermine the prospects for peace and to work towards the resumption of direct negotiations without pre conditions. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), conveyed this message when he met President Abbas on 6 July 2012.

Lost Working Days

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the average number of working days lost per person was in (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies in each of the last three years.

Henry Bellingham: The statistics for the average number of working days lost are included in the departmental reports produced by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and FCO Services Trading Fund. These can be found online at:
	www.fco.gov.uk/en/publications-and-documents/publications1/annual-reports/departmental-report/
	and
	www.fcoservices.gov.uk/eng/ourorganisation/news.asp
	respectively.
	The departmental reports, for 2011-12, for the FCO and FCO Services Trading Fund will be laid before Parliament this month.

Middle East

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the President of the Palestinian Authority on (a) accepting the Quartet statement and (b) returning to direct peace negotiations.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), met President Abbas on 6 July. He urged President Abbas to return to direct peace negotiations in line with the Quartet statements of September 2011 and April 2012. We continue to encourage both sides to show flexibility and restart negotiations as the best way to achieve a lasting solution to the middle east peace process.

Middle East

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of reports linking the Muslim Brotherhood to recent rocket fire from the Sinai Peninsula into Israel.

Alistair Burt: We have not received any credible reports linking the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt to rocket fire from Sinai into Israel.

Middle East

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the recent terror attack on the Israel-Egypt border.

Alistair Burt: The British Government remain concerned about the security situation in the Sinai, which we continue to raise with the Egyptian authorities. On 18 June several terrorists crossed into southern Israel from the Sinai. They reportedly set off an explosion and opened fire with a rocket-propelled grenade and small arms at Israeli construction workers building the border fence. One construction worker was killed and another injured. We condemn all acts of terrorism.

Middle East

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of where responsibility for recent rocket fire into Israel lies.

Alistair Burt: It is our assessment that recent rocket fire has been from a number of militant Palestinian groups. On 20 June the Al-Qassam Brigade, the military wing of Hamas, claimed responsibility for firing rockets for the first time in over a year. They said that the attacks were in response to the death of one of their members in an Israeli air strike. We have condemned indiscriminate rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel and urged all sides to exercise restraint and prevent civilian casualties and loss of life. We believe it is in no one's interest to see further violence in Gaza.

Middle East

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Palestinian Authority's commitment to end incitement against Israel in accordance with the Quartet principles.

Alistair Burt: The British Government oppose the advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence in all circumstances. In response to allegations of anti-Israeli incitement on Palestinian state television, officials from the British Consulate General in Jerusalem have raised concerns with the Head of the News Department at Palestine TV, who stressed that they have strict instructions from the highest Palestinian authorities to prevent the broadcasting of any material that promotes incitement or hatred. We are not aware of any other credible recent evidence of anti-Israeli incitement by the Palestinian Authority.

Pay

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the lowest hourly rate paid to staff by his Department is; how many members of staff based outside London are paid less than £7.20 per hour; and how many members of staff based in London are paid less than £8.30 per hour.

Henry Bellingham: The hourly rate for Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff based outside of London is £7.85 per hour and within London £9.69 per hour.

Public Expenditure

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1) , with reference to the speech by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury of 23 April 2012 at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, what progress his Department has made on identifying a proportion of its resource budget which can be re-prioritised; what steps he has taken to identify such funds; and which parts of his Department's resource budget he has identified as suitable for re-prioritisation;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with his Department's agencies and the non-departmental bodies for which he is responsible on the contribution they will make to identifying resource budget for possible re-prioritisation;
	(3)  when he will make public the areas of his Department's resource budget he has identified for possible re-prioritisation; and when he plans to report to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee on the outcome of this exercise.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is determined to deliver the best possible service to the UK taxpayer at the lowest possible cost while contributing to the Government's goal of reducing the budget deficit. We are committed to improving financial management across the FCO and to meeting all of our obligations in respect of the recent announcement by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on improving spending control across the public sector. One of these commitments is to identify around 5% of our departmental expenditure limit that could be reprioritised within year to fund unforeseen pressures on our budget and to share these plans with the Treasury. We are working with the Treasury on this in accordance with ‘Improving Spending Control’:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/improving_spending_control.pdf
	Our contingency plans will not be published and will be reassessed and updated on an ongoing basis.

Sargasso Sea

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the establishment of a marine protected area in the Sargasso (High) Sea.

Henry Bellingham: Members of the Sargasso Sea Alliance have met officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Transport (DFT) to discuss the scientific case, and the appropriate international forum under which measures to conserve the area, which lies in an Area Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ), could be taken. As a result of this meeting officials of the DFT and its Maritime and Coastguard Agency are engaged in discussions with the Sargasso Sea Alliance with a view to identifying a measure or measures which it would be appropriate to take forward in the International Maritime Organisation. In addition, the Government support the work of the OSPAR Commission, under which seven marine protected areas in ABNJ have been identified, in assisting the Alliance with its proposals. The Government of Bermuda support the proposal to provide appropriate protection for the Sargasso Sea. The British Government, the Sargasso Sea Alliance and the Government of Bermuda are working together to this end through the appropriate forums.
	The British Government recognise that the current system for the identification of marine protected areas in ABNJ is piecemeal and can lack global legitimacy. We continue to press, in line with the commitment in the Natural Environment White Paper, for a new Implementing Agreement consistent with the UN Law of the Sea to address these concerns.

Syria

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the outcome was of his recent discussions with the Syria Action Group.

Alistair Burt: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the written statement from the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), on 4 July 2012, Official Report, columns 56-7WS.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcoholic Drinks: Females

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Government's alcohol strategy in relation to the behaviour of (a) young and (b) middle-aged women.

James Brokenshire: The Government's alcohol strategy, published on 23 March, sets out a wide range of actions to tackle the harms caused by excessive alcohol consumption. The Government will produce an impact assessment and consult on a range of measures in the alcohol strategy in the coming months.

Aviation: Security

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what technology she plans to use to replace IRIS scanners at UK airports.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency is currently assessing the next generation of automated clearance gates, ensuring that the design will accommodate the greatest number of passengers and improve reliability. The Border Automation Strategy will be produced in October 2012. This includes examining ways of extending availability to non-EU/EEA passengers.

Aviation: Security

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what timetable she has set for the removal of IRIS scanners at UK airports.

Damian Green: IRIS barriers have already been closed and barriers removed at Gatwick South (March 2011), Birmingham (March 2012) and Manchester (April 2012) airports.
	Arrangements have been made to keep IRIS at Heathrow and Gatwick North airports open for registered passengers until after both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. There is no formal date arranged as yet to remove the barriers at these ports.

British Nationals Abroad: Homicide

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has received any information from the Serious Organised Crime Agency on when it will sign the Memorandum of Understanding for support services for families of UK nationals murdered overseas; and when she expects the Memorandum of Understanding to come into effect.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 9 July 2012
	“Murder, Manslaughter and Infanticide of British Nationals Abroad” is a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Coroner's Society of England and Wales.
	The Serious Organised Crime Agency is not a signatory to the MOU.
	The Memorandum took immediate effect on 21 June 2012 and a communications plan is being put in place to ensure an effective launch by all parties.

Castes

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to introduce regulations 
	(1)  on discrimination by caste and descent under her powers under the Equality Act 2010;
	(2)  under the Equality Act 2010 to prohibit caste discrimination.

Lynne Featherstone: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given on 22 May 2012, Official Report, column 593W.

Castes

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish all the advice she has received on the implementation of the NIESR report on caste discrimination in the UK.

Lynne Featherstone: The National Institute for Economic and Social Research (NIESR) report was published in December 2010. Consideration of this issue is continuing. There are no current plans to publish any advice that Ministers have received on the implementation of the NIESR report.

Claims Management Services

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the cost to the public purse of investigating cases of fraudulent claims initiated on behalf of consumers by claims management companies.

James Brokenshire: I have made no such assessment.
	Claims management companies are subject to regulation by the Ministry of Justice's Claims Management Regulation Unit. The Unit works with partner agencies such as the Insurance Fraud Bureau, police forces, other regulators and trade organisations to tackle businesses involved in bad practice and suspected crime, including allegations of fraudulent claims.

Credit Cards: Fraud

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to tackle credit card fraud.

James Brokenshire: Figures published by the banking and card payments industry show that in 2011 card fraud on UK-issued debit and credit cards fell by 7% to £341 million. Levels have fallen for the third year in a row and the 2011 figure is the lowest level of loss since 2000.
	The Government work closely with enforcement and industry bodies on fraud issues and are determined to improve the response to all economic crime through the development of the National Crime Agency and, within that, the Economic Crime Command. We are engaging with both the payments industry and law enforcement agencies on the development of the Economic Crime Command. The Economic Crime Command will co-ordinate and direct effective action to tackle serious and organised economic crime and will support better use of resources across all national economic crime fighting agencies. It will also drive development of a stronger intelligence picture to better tackle and prevent economic crime.

Drugs: Misuse

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research her Department has (a) produced, (b) commissioned and (c) evaluated on the (i) legislation and regulation and (ii) decriminalisation of controlled substances.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 9 July 2012
	The Home Office has not (a) produced, (b) commissioned or (c) evaluated any research on the (i) legislation and regulation and (ii) decriminalisation of controlled substances. The Home Office regularly receives expert advice from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs on current provisions under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.

Entry Clearances

Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for family visitor visas there were in each year from 1997 to 2011; how many of those were granted; how many times appeals were made against refusal of such applications; how many of those appeals were upheld in each such year; and what her most recent estimate is of the average cost to her Department of such an appeal in the latest period for which figures are available.

Damian Green: holding answer 6 July 2012
	The information requested for each calendar year since 2004 is shown in the following table. The information is not available for previous years as this data was not recorded centrally for all of the visa sections prior to 2004 and to collate it would incur disproportionate costs.
	
		
			 Family visit visas 
			  Applications received(1) Visas issued(1) Appeals received(2) Appeals decided(2) Appeals allowed(2, 3) 
			 2004 354,029 247,987 28,803 22,707 10,889 
			 2005 456,985 330,638 55,813 25,556 10,733 
			 2006 501,565 375,940 47,672 65,507 24,349 
			 2007 473,470 354,061 61,028 57,608 20,297 
			 2008 414,656 313,377 65,283 59,881 23,180 
			 2009 426,789 332,781 63,449 64,860 26,312 
			 2010 423,042 350,311 51,702 64,237 25,630 
			 2011 443,948 370,105 44,809 50,137 16,783 
			 (1 )These data are based on internal UKBA Management Information. They are provisional and subject to change. (2) These are data are provided/published by HM Courts and Tribunals Service. Appeals received is a discrete data set and not restricted to appeals arising from refusals in each year. (3) This is the number of appeals decided in each year that were allowed.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many non-EU students had their leave to remain curtailed because of a breach of their visa conditions in 2011.

Damian Green: holding answer 2 July 2012
	The UK Border Agency does not keep records of those students whose leave under Tier 4 of the points-based system was curtailed specifically on the grounds that they had breached their conditions of stay.
	Up to 30 June 2012, the UK Border Agency had curtailed the leave of over 29,000 students who had leave to remain under Tier 4 of the points-based system. This figure includes all curtailments under Tier 4 and is not limited to those students who had leave curtailed due to a breach of visa conditions.
	The figure provided above has been derived from local management information and has not been subject to national statistical protocols.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many non-EU students were found to be in breach of their visa conditions in 2011.

Damian Green: holding answer 2 July 2012
	The UK Border Agency does not keep records of those students whose leave under Tier 4 of the points-based system was curtailed specifically on the grounds that they had breached their conditions of stay.
	Up to 30 June 2012, the UK Border Agency had curtailed the leave of over 29,000 students who had leave to remain under Tier 4 of the points-based system. This figure includes all curtailments under Tier 4 and is not limited to those students who had leave curtailed due to a breach of visa conditions.
	The figure provided above has been derived from local management information and has not been subject to national statistical protocols.

Extradition Review

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Government plan to announce their response to Lord Justice Baker's review of extradition arrangements.

Damian Green: The UK-US extradition treaty was only one area considered by the independent review of the UK's extradition arrangements chaired by Sir Scott Baker. The report was published on 18 October 2011. The Government are currently considering how to respond to what is a very detailed and complex review of nearly 500 pages and will report our conclusions to Parliament when this has been completed.

Licensing Laws

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reports she has received of any instances of licences for off licences or public houses being passed on to a family member when the licensee has had their licence revoked or withdrawn.

James Brokenshire: Licensing is devolved locally to licensing authorities. The Home Office, which has responsibility for alcohol licensing, does not request or hold such data nationally.

Lost Working Days

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average number of working days lost was per person in (a) her Department and (b) each of its agencies in each of the last three years.

Damian Green: Table 1 shows the average working days lost per staff year to sickness absence in the Home Office and its agencies in the financial years 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12.
	
		
			 Table 1: Average working days lost (per staff year), 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12(1) 
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Home Office Total 8.80 7.83 7.88 
			 Home Office Headquarters 5.57 5.39 (3)7.00 
			 United Kingdom Border Agency 9.16 (2)8.00 8.49 
			 Criminal Records Bureau 11.14 11.55 11.13 
		
	
	
		
			 Identity and Passport Service 9.25 8.03 8.08 
			 National Fraud Authority — — (4)2.5 
			 (1) Permanent Secretaries Management Group Cabinet Office returns for 31 March 2010, 2011, 2012. (2)Workforce changes in 2010-11: 4,603 (full-time equivalent) (FTE)) HM Revenue and Customs detection staff joined United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA) on 1 April 2010 in a machinery of government change. (3)Workforce changes in 2011-12: 88 (FTE) Government Equalities Office employees transferred to Home Office Headquarters on 1 April 2011 in a machinery of government change. 7,466 (FTE) Border Force staff moved from UKBA to Home Office Headquarters on 1 March 2012 in an internal restructure. (4)Workforce changes in 2011-12: 42 (FTE) National Fraud Authority (NFA) employees transferred to the Home Office on 1 April 2011, when NFA became an Executive agency of the Department in a machinery of government change. Extract date: 1 April of each year (figures based on period from 1 April to 31 March in each year). Methodology: Reported figures comply with Cabinet Office cross-Government reporting standards (using “per-staff year”, not “per-person” data) and are rolling year figures, including all paid civil servants (current employees and those who left during the financial year).

Pay

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the lowest hourly rate paid to staff by her Department is; how many members of staff based outside London are paid less than £7.20 per hour; and how many members of staff based in London are paid less than £8.30 per hour.

Lynne Featherstone: The lowest hourly rate paid to any member of staff in the Home Office is £7.27. No member of staff based outside London is paid less than £7.20 per hour. No member of staff based in London is paid less than £8.30 per hour.

Public Expenditure

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to reduce expenditure by her Department.

Damian Green: The Home Office agreed a set of expenditure reductions at the spending review and is implementing these by managing its budget tightly and in accordance with Treasury guidance on Managing Public Money.

Public Expenditure

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the speech by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury of 23 April 2012 at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, what progress her Department has made on identifying a proportion of its resource budget which can be re-prioritised; what steps she has taken to identify such funds; and which parts of her Department's resource budget she has identified as suitable for re-prioritisation.

Damian Green: The Department is working with the Treasury to agree contingency plans as set out in ‘Improving Spending Control’ at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/improving_spending_control.pdf
	Plans and options for re-prioritisation will not be published. They will be “live” plans that are reassessed and updated on an ongoing basis.

Public Expenditure

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the speech by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury of 23 April 2012 at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, what discussions she has had with her Department's agencies and the non-departmental bodies for which she is responsible on the contribution they will make to identifying resource budget for possible re-prioritisation.

Damian Green: The Department is working with the Treasury to agree contingency plans as set out in ‘Improving Spending Control’ at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/improving_spending_control.pdf
	Plans and options for re-prioritisation will not be published. They will be “live” plans that are reassessed and updated on an ongoing basis.

Public Expenditure

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the speech by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury of 23 April 2012 at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, when she will make public the areas of her Department's resource budget she has identified for possible re-prioritisation; and when she plans to report to the Home Affairs Select Committee on the outcome of this exercise.

Damian Green: The Department is working with the Treasury to agree contingency plans as set out in ‘Improving Spending Control’ at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/improving_spending_control.pdf
	Plans and options for re-prioritisation will not be published. They will be “live” plans that are reassessed and updated on an ongoing basis.

Schengen Agreement

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what assessment her Department has made of the effect on the UK of EU Council Decision 2004/849/EC;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the consequences for the UK of its decision to participate in EU Council Decision 2000/586/JHA.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 9 July 2012
	Both of these measures, Council Decision 2004/849/EC and Council Decision 2000/586/JHA, are on the list of 133 notified to Parliament on 21 December 2011 as part of the decision to be made on whether we accept European Court of Justice jurisdiction for pre-Lisbon police and criminal justice measures in 2014. These measures will be reviewed accordingly.

Schengen Agreement

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many alerts under the second generation Schengen Information System for (a) persons wanted for arrest for surrender purposes on the basis of a European Arrest Warrant, (b) missing persons, (c) persons sought to assist with a judicial procedure and (d) objects for seizure or use as evidence in criminal proceedings were (i) issued and (ii) received by the UK authorities in each year since 2008.

Damian Green: None. The second generation Schengen Information System (SIS II) is not yet operational.

Vetting: British Nationals Abroad

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will give (a) international schools, (b) orphanages and (c) other such organisations based abroad the ability to access UK criminal records checking procedures to ensure that British sex offenders who apply for work with them cannot gain access to children.

Lynne Featherstone: Any British resident is able to obtain their own basic certificate by applying to either Disclosure Scotland or Access Northern Ireland. Such certificates will provide individuals' unspent convictions, including conditional cautions. For organisations that are based outside the United Kingdom but have sponsor schools, associate schools or UK offices (such as Save the Children and UNICEF) which are able to ask the question relating to convictions in the UK and show that eligibility exists under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (ROA) (Exceptions) Order 1975, applications may be made to the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) for standard or enhanced certificates.
	In phase 2 of her review of the criminal record regime in England and Wales (“A Common Sense Approach”), Mrs Sunita Mason, the Independent Advisor for Criminality Information Management, made a recommendation that would allow
	“British residents to obtain a standard CRB certificate when applying for a post abroad that would be excepted from the ROA if it was in the UK, and providing for a check of the barred list to be made where it would have amounted to regulated activity”.
	We have asked Mrs Mason to consider this issue further and provide us with more detailed advice before we decide how to respond to this recommendation.

Victim Support Schemes

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what budget she plans to allocate to police and crime commissioners in each area to cover the costs of commissioning support services for victims.

Crispin Blunt: On 2 July 2012 the Government announced in our response to the consultation “Getting it Right for Victims and Witnesses” that by 2015, police and crime commissioners will be responsible for commissioning the bulk of victims' services. There is more work to be done before we can say how much will be allocated to each area.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Homosexuality: Marriage

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what assurances she has given to faith groups and religious organisations that there is no risk of successful legal challenge for refusing to conduct a same-sex religious marriage.

Lynne Featherstone: The consultation on enabling same-sex couples to have a civil marriage ceremony closed on 14 June 2012.
	We recognise the vital role religious organisations have in our society and the role that religious organisations have in marriage. No faith group or religious organisation will be forced to hold marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples as a result of our proposals.
	As part of the consultation, both Ministers and officials engaged with a variety of organisations to understand their views, and these will be reflected in the Government response, which will be published by the end of the year

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

BBC

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will take steps to ascertain how much money the BBC has spent on (a) personal development and (b) anger management courses for staff from 2008 to date; and what the title and content of each such course was.

Edward Vaizey: The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), will not be seeking this information from the BBC. This is a matter for the BBC, and my hon. Friend may wish to consider writing directly to the BBC to seek the information he requires. Under the terms of the BBC Charter, the BBC is independent of Government and there is no provision for Government to intervene in the BBC's day-to-day editorial and operational matters.
	The BBC Trust has a duty to ensure the BBC achieves the highest standards of value for money for its licence fee funding.

BBC: Pay

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with the BBC Trust on reducing the salary of the Director-General.

Edward Vaizey: I have had no such discussions. The appointment of the Director-General is a matter for the BBC Trust and the Government would not seek to intervene.
	The BBC Trust has a duty to achieve the highest standards of value for money for its licence fee funding.

Lost Working Days

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the average number of working days lost per person was in his Department in each of the last three years.

John Penrose: The average number of working days lost per person through paid and unpaid absence in each of the last three years can be found in the following table.
	
		
			  Average Number of Days Lost 
			 2009-10 6.1 
			 2010-11 5.2 
			 2011-12 6

Olympic Games 2012

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many official Olympic and Paralympic pre-games training camp agreements have been made in Scotland; and how the host areas will benefit from such agreements.

Hugh Robertson: Four pre-games training camp (PGTC) agreements have been confirmed. Scotland will be welcoming teams from Zambia (Glasgow), Cameroon (Aberdeen), the US Virgin Isles (Stirling) and Cuba (Glasgow) as they prepare for the Olympics and, in the case of the Cubans, the Paralympic games.
	PGTCs will provide an opportunity to promote local areas, creating economic benefits, including inward investment, through the international attention that will follow. In addition, local communities will benefit from establishing or strengthening cultural links with the countries whose athletes are training nearby, including through organising events during “Host a Nation Week” (16 to 22 July 2012).

Olympic Games 2012

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many Scottish businesses have won contracts to provide products or services for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics; and what the total value is of those contracts.

Hugh Robertson: The Olympic Delivery Authority publishes regular updates on the London 2012 Olympic games. Its latest figures show that over £33 million worth of contracts have been awarded to 30 businesses in Scotland. These figures include Barr Construction in Paisley and Euro Pools in Glasgow. This is in addition to a vast number of business opportunities within the supply chain.

Television: Licensing

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, with reference to the answer of 5 March 2012, Official Report, column 496W, on television: licensing, if he will make it his policy that his Department should oversee the BBC's arrangements for collecting the licence fee in regards to (a) the number of employees of TV Licensing, (b) the cost of employing such workers (i) at TV Licence centres and (ii) in total and (iii) the location and number of TV Licence centres.

Edward Vaizey: The Government have no intention of overseeing the BBC's arrangements. Under the terms of the BBC Charter, the BBC Trust is responsible for ensuring that the arrangements for the collection of the licence fee are efficient, appropriate and proportionate. The BBC is independent of Government and there is no provision for the Government to intervene.

Tourism

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the value was to the (a) UK and (b) Scottish economy of revenues generated by visitors from Japan holding tourist visas during the (i) period May 1997 to May 2010 and (ii) latest period for which figures are available.

John Penrose: The Department does not record this information. However, VisitBritain advises that the International Passenger Survey, conducted by the Office for National Statistics, provides the following data about the value to the UK economy of Japanese tourists. Due to the way in which statistics are recorded, we are unable to provide the information in the exact format requested.
	(a) (i) From 1997 to 2010 (year from January) total spend by Japanese holiday visitors was £1,663 million,
	(ii) In 2011, total spend by Japanese holiday visitors was £86 million.
	(b) (i) Data from 1997 to 2002 are not available. From 2002 to 2010 total spend by Japanese holiday visitors in Scotland was £61 million,
	(ii) In 2011, total spend by Japanese holiday visitors in Scotland was £7 million.
	We have defined Japanese tourists as Japanese residents visiting the UK on holiday. This does not include Japanese residents visiting friends/relatives, on business or studying.

Tourism

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of jobs within the (a) UK and (b) Scottish visitor economy which were supported by revenue generated by Japanese tourist visas in the latest period for which figures are available.

John Penrose: VisitBritain estimates that the revenue generated by Japanese holiday visitors in 2011 supported 2,150 jobs throughout the UK, of which 175 were in Scotland.
	We have defined Japanese tourists as Japanese residents visiting the UK on holiday. This does not include Japanese residents visiting friends/relatives, on business or studying.

Work Experience

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many interns work in his Department's press office.

John Penrose: No interns work in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's press office.

TREASURY

Air Passenger Duty

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department plans to introduce a two-tier rate of air passenger duty; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: Changes to the structure of air passenger duty were considered as part of last year's APD consultation, launched at Budget 2011. The Government's response, published on 6 December 2011, can be found online here:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/2011budget_airpassenger.htm

Bank Services

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what (a) representations he has received from and (b) discussions he has had with the Cabinet Secretary for Finance in the Scottish Government on the IT systems failure in (i) Royal Bank of Scotland, (ii) NatWest and (iii) Ulster Bank.

Mark Hoban: The Chancellor of the Exchequer and I have spoken to a variety of people about the IT systems failure in (i) Royal Bank of Scotland, (ii) NatWest and (iii) Ulster Bank. The Royal Bank of Scotland has committed to carrying out a full and detailed investigation into the causes of the problem, overseen by independent experts, and to publish the findings.

Bank Services

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of people in Scotland who have been affected by the recent bank system errors in (i) Royal Bank of Scotland, (ii) NatWest and (iii) Ulster Bank.

Mark Hoban: The Government have no estimate of how many people in Scotland have been affected by the recent bank system errors in (i) Royal Bank of Scotland, (ii) NatWest and (iii) Ulster Bank. The Royal Bank of Scotland has committed to carrying out a full and detailed investigation into the causes of the problem, overseen by independent experts, and to publish the findings.
	It is a condition of a bank's licence that it has adequate internal control mechanisms and effective procedures to identify, manage and report on any risks to which it might be exposed.
	The application of the rules is a matter for the regulator, the Financial Services Authority. The regulator has set out specific requirements in its handbook for regulated firms relating to internal systems and controls. The handbook has statutory force.

Child Care Tax Credit

Elizabeth Truss: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the cost to the Exchequer of (a) fraud and (b) error relating to the child care element of the working tax credit in the most recent year for which figures are available; what steps his Department is taking to address such fraud; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: The amount of error and fraud relating to the child care element of working tax credits is found in table 9 of HMRC's publication “Child and Working Tax Credits Error and Fraud Statistics” available here:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtcredits-error1011.pdf
	In 2010-11, the estimated amount of error and fraud favouring the claimant in misreporting child care costs was £265 million.
	Of this, approximately £5 million was fraud and £260 million was error. The personal tax credits error and fraud strategy was introduced in April 2009, based on the principle of “Check first, Then Pay”. In 2011-12 156,000 cases were reviewed as part of HMRC's prevent, maintain and cleanse activity.
	Estimates published on 20 June 2012 indicate that HMRC has reduced the personal tax credits child care risk from £390 million in 2008-09 to £265 million in 2010-11.

Experian

Jessica Morden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credit recipients (a) are appealing and (b) have (i) successfully and (ii) unsuccessfully appealed decisions which were made based on data supplied by Experian since this system was introduced.

David Gauke: holding answer 19 June 2012
	Since HMRC has made use of Experian, the Tax Credit Office has looked at 24,299 awards and received 2,013 appeals against decisions which were made using this additional data.
	Of those appeals, 248 decisions have been made to date, of which:
	80 were revisions in favour of the appellant;
	83 were not changed; and
	85 have been passed to the first-tier tribunal.

Financial Services Authority

Sandra Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider (a) publishing, (b) requiring the Financial Services Authority to publish and (c) requiring the successor bodies to the Financial Services Authority to publish details of meetings with external stakeholders within one working day of the meeting having taken place.

Mark Hoban: Details of meetings that Ministers have with external stakeholders are published on a quarterly basis on the Treasury's website under the Government's transparency agenda.
	The Government have no plans to require the Financial Services Authority and its successor bodies to publish details of meetings with external stakeholders within one working day. There are sound public policy reasons for this: those who provide information to a regulator must be able to feel confident that the confidentiality of the information will be respected. Requiring the regulators to make details of all stakeholder meetings public may mean stakeholders become less willing to come forward with information.

Infrastructure

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward the timing of public low-carbon infrastructure investment in order to encourage economic growth.

Chloe Smith: The Government are already investing in infrastructure, providing £2.4 billion for the regional growth fund, £770 million for the Growing Places fund and £570 million for the Get Britain Building fund. We have provided £3 billion allocated for the Green Investment Bank and allocated £200 million at the 2011 autumn statement to provide incentives for early take-up of the Green Deal.

LIBOR

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has had discussions with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) in Scotland on LIBOR; and when he was made aware that COPFS was investigating complaints regarding the activities of banks in relation to LIBOR.

Mark Hoban: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings and discussions with a wide variety of authorities as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions. Furthermore, the Government will not say or do anything that might prejudge or pre-empt the outcome of investigations into the attempted manipulation of LIBOR and other benchmarks.

National Infrastructure Plan

Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the projects identified in the National Infrastructure Plan had commenced by 1 July 2012.

Danny Alexander: holding answer 9 July 2012
	The National Infrastructure Plan 2011 identified a substantial pipeline of planned investment in UK infrastructure, including over 500 projects and programmes worth in excess of £250 billion. Almost two thirds of the expected investment to 2015 will be privately funded, so this is quite rightly not a centrally managed process.
	The Government are ensuring that all Departments play their part in tackling delays and addressing key commercial and policy issues associated with the priority infrastructure investments identified in the National Infrastructure Plan. I chair a Cabinet Sub-Committee on infrastructure to provide a focus to this work.
	An update on the progress made on these infrastructure investments was published alongside this year's Budget and the Treasury will be publishing a further progress update around the time of the autumn statement.

Public Expenditure

John Healey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the speech by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury of 23 April 2012 at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, when he will make public the areas of his Department's resource budget he has identified for possible re-prioritisation; and when he plans to report to the Education Select Committee on the outcome of this exercise.

Chloe Smith: The Department is working with the Treasury to agree contingency plans as set out in “Improving Spending Control”:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/improving_spending_control.pdf
	Plans and options for re-prioritisation will not be published. They should be “live” plans that are reassessed and updated on an on going basis.

Staff: Scotland

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of people employed in Scotland by each public body for which his Department is responsible.

Chloe Smith: As at 31 March 2012, the following staff were employed in Scotland by bodies responsible to the Chancellor of the Exchequer;
	
		
			 Department Staff employed in Scotland 
			 HMRC 9,839 (8,631.23(1)) 
			 NS&I 5 (4.6(1)) 
			 (1 )full time equivalent 
		
	
	There are no other staff employed in Scotland by HM Treasury, its agencies or other public bodies.

Swap Loan Agreements

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with banks over the marketing of swap loan agreements.

Mark Hoban: holding answer 9 July 2012
	Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings and discussions with a wide variety of authorities as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions. Furthermore, the Government will not say or do anything that might prejudge or pre-empt the outcome of investigations into the attempted manipulation of LIBOR and other benchmarks.

VAT

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy not to increase the five per cent VAT rate for insulation, solar panels and other energy saving and renewable energy technologies installed on domestic properties; what recent discussions he has had with (a) the European Commission on energy saving goods and Annex III of the VAT Directive and (b) the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on the effect of an increased VAT rate on energy saving materials for the success of the Green Deal policy; and if he will make a statement. [R]

David Gauke: The UK believes that the reduced rate on energy saving materials is allowed under the principal VAT directive. The European Commission has, however, launched infraction proceedings against the reduced rate. We will study the Commission's arguments carefully and respond in due course.
	I have had no recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), about this matter.

Welfare Tax Credits: Scotland

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the total number of people in Scotland in receipt of (a) working tax credit and (b) child tax credit;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the total monetary value of tax credit spending in Scotland.

David Gauke: The HMRC snapshot publication “Personal Tax Credits: Provisional Statistics—Geographical Statistics” contains data on the number of families in receipt of tax credits and the April 2012 publication can be found here:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm
	Table 2 has this information by country.

TRANSPORT

Driving Under Influence: Drugs

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration the expert panel on drug driving plans to give to the position of people taking stable doses of legitimately prescribed opioid- based medicines for long-term pain relief in the event that the detection device shows a positive test; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Penning: The expert panel is considering opioids as a family of controlled drugs, because some of the scientific issues are common to this family of drugs, which includes both heroin and medicinally used drugs. The Government's prime policy deliberation in considering opioids is to reduce the risk to public safety on the roads posed by drivers who have taken illicit substances such as heroin.
	However, medically supplied opioids may be proposed for inclusion in the new offence if they pose a major road safety problem. Alternatively, it may be that the evidence indicates that it would be more appropriate to continue to rely on the driving impairment offence.

Fishing Vessels: Radio

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the proportion of fishing vessels and small crafts in each constituent part of the UK using digital selective calling.

Michael Penning: My Department has not made any estimate of digital selective calling (DSC) usage by fishing vessels and small craft because the move to emergency alerting arrangements using DSC is required under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).
	It is the personal responsibility of all those that go to sea to ensure that they have the appropriate communications facilities available to contact Her Majesty's Coastguard in the event of an emergency, taking account of where they are.
	There are around 5,600 UK vessels licensed for fishing, of which 680 are over 15 metres in overall length and therefore required to carry DSC radio. The others are required to carry a fixed (DSC) VHF radio or handheld. When operating over 30 miles from land, carrying additional DSC equipment is strongly recommended.

Fishing Vessels: Radio

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) independent and (b) internal assessments of risk her Department has commissioned on the ban on using 2182 kHz as the medium frequency distress, alerting and calling frequency.

Michael Penning: My Department has not carried out any independent or internal assessment of risks because the move to emergency alerting arrangements using digital selective calling (DSC) is required under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).
	The United Kingdom adopted the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) in 1999. At that time 2182 kHz ceased to be the medium for the initial transmission of Distress Urgency and Safety (DUS) alerts, although ships and shore stations were obliged to continue a listening watch on 2182 kHz until 1 January 2002. There is no ban on the use of radio telephony on 2182 kHz when used for communications subsequent to the initial DUS alert using the DSC system on 2187.5 kHz.

Fishing Vessels: Radio

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) independent and (b) internal assessments of risk her Department has commissioned on the ability of small craft and fishing vessel fleets in each constituent part of the UK to exclusively use the digital selective calling system for emergency calls rather than using the 2182 kHz frequency.

Michael Penning: My Department has not carried out any independent or internal assessment of risks because the move to emergency alerting arrangements using digital selective calling (DSC) is required under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).
	With the introduction of Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) in 1999, 2182 kHz ceased to be the medium for the initial transmission of Distress Urgency and Safety (DUS) alerts. To allow the fishing industry to acquire the appropriate equipment, Her Majesty's Coastguard advised mariners that Maritime and Rescue Co-ordination Centres would continue to provide a 2182 kHz loud speaker listening watch until 31 May 2002.
	With the introduction of updated radio technology, Her Majesty's Coastguard's ability to maintain a listening watch on 2182 kHz was finally removed in December 2011. It is the personal responsibility of all those who go to sea to ensure that they have the appropriate communications facilities available to contact Her Majesty's Coastguard in the event of an emergency, taking account of where they are.

Fishing Vessels: Radio

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much (a) her Department and (b) HM Coastguard have spent on updating medium frequency radio equipment.

Michael Penning: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has spent £1.46 million on updating medium frequency radio equipment.

Fishing Vessels: Radio

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether her Department carried out any consultations with the devolved Administrations on shifting emergency calls from distress, alerting and calling frequency 2182 kHz to the digital select calling system.

Michael Penning: Maritime search and rescue is not a devolved matter. Communications with mariners, whether professional or recreational, are carried out using recognised national and international procedures.

Government Car and Despatch Agency

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many drivers are (a) retained for the Government Car Service and (b) forecast to be retained for 2013 and onwards.

Michael Penning: holding answer 5 July 2012
	The information is as follows:
	(a) The Government Car Service currently has 75 drivers as at the end of June 2012.
	(b) The number of drivers retained by 31 March 2013 is expected to decrease but exact numbers are dependent on finalising customer requirements for the new Government Car Service.

Government Car and Despatch Agency

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the budget is for the Government Car Service in each year to 2015.

Michael Penning: holding answer 5 July 2012
	The budget for the Government Car Service for the current financial year is an expenditure of £4.309 million. By way of comparison, the budget for 2009-10 was expenditure of £10.680 million. Budget information for 2013-14 and 2014-15 is not available.

Government Car and Despatch Agency

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many cars the Government Car Service will retain in each year from 2012 to 2014.

Michael Penning: holding answer 5 July 2012
	By the end of March 2013 the Government Car Service will have reduced the number of cars in the fleet to 90 cars, a reduction of 136 vehicles from the 226 cars at May 2010. It is expected that this number will remain constant through 2013-14.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport by what date she anticipates that all the recommendations in the Major Project Authority's report into High Speed 2 will be delivered; and if she will make a statement.

Justine Greening: holding answer 6 July 2012
	The recommendations provided by the MPA in its review of November 2011 have either been met or are on track to be met by the time the hybrid Bill is deposited.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the red-amber warning given in the Major Project Authority's report into High Speed 2 will delay the agreed delivery timescale for the HS2 project; and if she will make a statement.

Justine Greening: holding answer 6 July 2012
	No.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the red-amber warning given in the Major Project Authority's report on High Speed 2 will lead to an increase in overall HS2 project costs; and if she will make a statement.

Justine Greening: holding answer 6 July 2012
	No.

London Airports

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment she has made of the collective international aviation connectivity of the five main London airports.

Theresa Villiers: London is currently one of the best connected cities in the world. In December last year, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) published “Aviation policy for the consumer”. It contains an assessment of the current aviation connectivity of London and the UK. For example, Figure 6 of the document shows that, taken together, the five main London airports serve more routes than any other European city.
	We intend to publish a call for evidence on maintaining the UK's international aviation connectivity, which will be informed by statistics on the international aviation connectivity of UK airports, including the CAA's assessment.
	“Aviation policy for the consumer” can be found on the CAA website, here:
	http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/589/CAA_InsightNote1_Aviation_Policy_For_The_Consumer.pdf

Railways: Concessions

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many members of the armed forces are eligible for the HM armed forces railcard.

Theresa Villiers: All HM forces personnel, spouses and dependent children aged 16 or 17 are eligible for a HM forces railcard.

Railways: Concessions

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average annual cost to her Department is of a HM armed forces railcard; and how much she estimates the HM armed forces railcard scheme will cost in each year of the comprehensive spending review period.

Theresa Villiers: There is no cost to the Department in relation to the HM forces railcard as this is a commercial matter between the train operators and the Ministry of Defence.

Roads: Accidents

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information her Department holds on the number of road traffic accidents where the cause of the accident was attributed to the driver having a hypoglycaemic attack in each of the last five years.

Michael Penning: Information on the number of road traffic accidents where the cause of the accident was attributed to the driver having had a hypoglycaemic attack is not recorded.

Roads: Safety

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road safety management teams have been (a) disbanded and (b) reduced in staff numbers in the last two years.

Michael Penning: The Department for Transport does not collect information about the numbers and sizes of local authorities' road safety management teams. Local authorities have statutory duties related to road safety, but the decisions about how many staff are necessary and whether staff are employed directly or not are for local authorities.
	The Government recognise that local communities have a central role in making roads as safe as they can be. We have therefore changed the way funding support is provided to give local authorities more freedom to assess and act on their own priorities. We have also provided a new local sustainable transport fund and from April 2013 there will be more funding associated with the transfer of responsibilities for public health to local authorities.

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reason her Department moved the commitment to complete the commercial arrangements for the delivery of the Intercity Express Programme from being an action in the main Structural Reform Plan in its May 2011 Business Plan to being an additional departmental action in Annex B of its May 2012 Business Plan.

Theresa Villiers: In line with Cabinet Office guidance, the main Structural Reform Plan is now more strongly focussed on the actions we will undertake to implement our major structural reforms. In light of that guidance, we have consolidated some initiatives into higher level actions, retaining the lower level milestones in the annexes.

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what date she expects all the rolling stock and infrastructure for the Intercity Express Programme on the East Coast Main line to have been delivered; and for what reason the May 2012 update to her Department's Business Plan removed the reference to this being completed by the end of 2018.

Theresa Villiers: The Department is planning for all the rolling stock and infrastructure for IEP services on the East Coast Main Line to be delivered by May 2019.

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what date she expects all the rolling stock and infrastructure for the Intercity Express Programme on the Great Western Main line to have been delivered; and for what reason the May 2012 update to her Department's business plan removed the reference to this being completed by the end of 2017.

Theresa Villiers: The Department is planning for all the rolling stock and infrastructure for IEP services on the Great Western Main Line to be delivered by July 2018.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what provisions are in place to allow for the testing of unmanned air vehicles in UK airspace.

Theresa Villiers: A facility for research and development in relation to Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) has been set up in the ParcAberporth site in west Wales. This utilises West Wales Airport and a complex of Danger Areas surrounding it (both over water and over land). These Danger Areas provide the requisite segregated airspace for UAS operations ‘beyond visual line of sight'. In addition, there are a number of other UK Danger Areas within which UAS operations may be permitted.
	A Danger Area is defined as
	“airspace which has been notified as such within which activities dangerous to the flight of aircraft may take place or exist at such times as may be notified”.
	When such airspace is required, its vertical and lateral dimensions, hours of operation and other salient details are notified in the En-Route section of the United Kingdom Aeronautical Information Publication.
	DFT charges the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), through the Directorate of Airspace Policy (DAP), with ensuring the safe and efficient use of all airspace, including Danger Areas, while embracing the concept of the Flexible Use of Airspace (FUA). Danger Area Sponsors manage Danger Area airspace and set the policy to ensure the safe, effective and efficient management of the airspace for which they have responsibility. UAS will be subject to the same level of safety regulation as conventional manned aircraft.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Consultants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department spent on external consultants, including management consultants, in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if she will make a statement.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost was to her Department of the use of external consultants in each of the last two years.

Richard Benyon: Core DEFRA’s total expenditure on external consultants in the relevant financial years is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year Expenditure (£) 
			 2010-11 7,370,397 
			 2011-12 4,657,302

Morocco: Fisheries Agreements

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will ask the European Commission to consult representatives of the Saharawi population excluded from the Western Sahara territory on the proposed renewal of the EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement.

Richard Benyon: Morocco, as the de facto administering power of Western Sahara, is obliged under international law to ensure that economic activities under its administration do not adversely affect the interests of the people in Western Sahara. The UK will continue to lobby the European Commission to ensure that a renewed EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement is compatible with international law and will also ask the Commission to seek advice on what consultations Morocco has carried out in connection with the renewal of the Agreement.

Pay

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the (a) highest, (b) median, (c) median full-time equivalent and (d) lowest full-time equivalent salary was paid by (i) her Department and (ii) its public bodies in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12 and (C) 2012-13.

Richard Benyon: The response in the following table provides data for the core Department and its Executive Agencies. Data for other public bodies are not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The information provided shows the position for staff in post as at 31 March 2011, 31 March 2012 and 31 May 2012. Information for all staff employed within the full yearly periods requested would not be available without incurring disproportionate cost. Data shown include base salary and allowances.
	In line with previous reporting on senior salaries, the highest salary figure in response to (a) has been provided in a £5,000 band.
	
		
			 Core DEFRA 
			 £ 
			 Data as at (date): Highest salary Median salary Median FTE salary Lowest FTE salary 
			 31 March 2011 155,000 to 160,000 32,617 33,399 15,739 
			 31 March 2012 155,000 to 160,000 32,617 33,650 15,279 
			 31 May 2012 155,000 to 160,000 32,617 33,507 15,279 
		
	
	Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA)
	AHVLA was vested on 1 April 2011 through the merger of Animal Health and the Veterinary Laboratories Agency. The following table shows figures for each Agency separately for the 2010-11 financial year, with merged figures for 2011-12 and 2012-13.
	
		
			 £ 
			 Organisation Data as at (date): Highest salary Median salary Median FTE salary Lowest FTE salary 
			 AH 31 March 2011 130,000 to 135,000 25,266 25,903 15,279 
			 VLA 31 March 2011 130,000 to 135,000 21,469 23,489 14,310 
			 AHVLA 31 March 2012 130,000 to 135,000 23,740 25,462 14,560 
			  31 May 2012 130,000 to 135,000 23,740 25,462 14,560 
		
	
	
		
			 Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VIVID) 
			 £ 
			 Data as at (date); Highest salary Median salary Median FTE salary Lowest FTE salary 
			 31 March 2011 90,000 to 95,000 29,848 30,527 19,155 
			 31 March 2012 115,000 to 120,000 29,848 29,848 19,405 
			 31 May 2012 115,000 to 120,000 29,848 29,848 19,405 
		
	
	
		
			 Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) 
			 £ 
			 Data as at (date): Highest salary Median salary Median FTE salary Lowest FTE salary 
			 31 March 2011 120,000 to 125,000 24,036 25,250 13,402 
		
	
	
		
			 31 March 2012 120,000 to 125,000 24,036 25,250 13,652 
			 31 May 2012 120,000 to 125,000 24,036 25,250 13,652 
		
	
	
		
			 Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA) 
			 £ 
			 Data as at (date): Highest salary Median salary Median FTE salary Lowest FTE salary 
			 31 March 2011 110,000 to 115,000 25,307 26,117 14,000 
			 31 March 2012 110,000 to 115,000 24,125 25,914 9,500 
			 31 May 2012 110,000 to 115,000 24,125 25,935 9,500 
		
	
	
		
			 Rural Payments Agency (RPA) 
			 £ 
			 Data as at (date): Highest salary Median salary Median FTE salary Lowest FTE salary 
			 31 March 2011 155,000 to 160,000 19,657 22,196 16,118 
			 31 March 2012 155,000 to 160,000 19,907 22,337 16,368 
			 31 May 2012 155,000 to 160,000 19,907 22,337 16,368

Public Expenditure

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the speech by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury of 23 April 2012 at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, 
	(1)  what progress her Department has made on identifying a proportion of its resource budget which can be re-prioritised; what steps she has taken to identify such funds; and which parts of her Department's resource budget she has identified as suitable for re-prioritisation;
	(2)  what discussions she has had with her Department's agencies and the non-departmental bodies for which she is responsible on the contribution they will make to identifying resource budget for possible re-prioritisation.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA is working with the Treasury to agree contingency plans as set out in ‘Improving Spending Control’:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/improving_spending _control.pdf
	Plans and options for re-prioritisation will not be published. They should be “live” plans that are reassessed and updated on an ongoing basis.

JUSTICE

Legal Aid Scheme

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether a student loan is classified as income in the assessment for legal aid; and whether he has any plans to review this classification.

Jonathan Djanogly: Under the criminal and civil legal aid schemes, student loans covering maintenance and cost of living expenses are counted as income in assessing a student's financial entitlement to legal aid; student loans covering tuition fees, which are paid directly to the student's university, are not treated as income for the purposes of conducting this assessment. The Ministry of Justice currently has no plans to review these arrangements.

Members: Correspondence

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Weaver Vale of 23 May 2012 on behalf of Mr Dominic Moss.

Jonathan Djanogly: I am very sorry for the delay. I can now confirm that a reply has now been sent.

Offenders: Deportation

Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department is taking to facilitate the removal of foreign national prisoners.

Crispin Blunt: Ministerial colleagues and I are in regular contact with overseas counterparts to explain the benefits of prisoner transfer agreements and encourage EU member states to implement the EU Framework Decision on the Transfer of Prisoners; this provides for compulsory prisoner transfers. We are also examining our offender management processes in the UK to identify how more foreign national offenders (FNOs) can be transferred to their home countries at the earliest possible point in their sentence. We are developing projects to improve standards in prisons in some of our high volume FNO countries to improve our ability to return time-serving prisoners to their countries of origin. We are also improving communications with FNOs eligible for return under existing voluntary mechanisms to explain the benefits and encourage them to take up this option.
	Following the introduction of a new tariff expired removal scheme in May 2012, it will be possible for the Secretary of State to authorise removal for FNOs who have received an indeterminate sentence, without reference to the Parole Board, once they have served the punitive part of their sentence.
	We are also enabling conditional cautions to be used as an alternative to prosecution for certain foreign offenders aged 18 or over who have no right to be in the UK; admit guilt; agree to accept the conditions; and where it is in the public interest to offer a conditional caution. The new conditions will result in the foreign offender's departure from the UK and prevent their return for an appropriate period of time.

Personal Injury: Compensation

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to ensure fair competition in the (i) procurement of software for the extension of the road traffic accident portal to other types of claim and (ii) administration of the portal after its extension.

Jonathan Djanogly: The RTA portal is run by the RTA Portal Company, which is a privately owned and funded enterprise. Therefore, issues relating to the running of the portal are not a matter for this Department.

Public Expenditure

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  with reference to the speech by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury of 23 April 2012 at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, what progress his Department has made on identifying a proportion of its resource budget that can be re-prioritised; what steps he has taken to identify such funds; and which parts of his Department's resource budget he has identified as suitable for re-prioritisation;
	(2)  with reference to the speech by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury of 23 April 2012 at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, what discussions he has had with his Department's agencies and the non-departmental bodies for which he is responsible on the contribution they will make to identifying resource budget for possible re-prioritisation;
	(3)  with reference to the speech by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury of 23 April 2012 at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, when he will make public the areas of his Department's resource budget he has identified for possible re-prioritisation; and when he plans to report to the Justice Select Committee on the outcome of this exercise.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Department is working with the Treasury to agree contingency plans as set out in “Improving Spending Control”:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/improving_spending_ control.pdf
	Plans and options for re-prioritisation will not be published. They should be ‘live’ plans that are reassessed and updated on an ongoing basis.

Reoffenders

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people convicted of offences related to the public disorder of August 2011 have reoffended after being released from prison.

Crispin Blunt: As at 15 June 2012, 710 offenders who were sentenced to custody for offences related to the public disorder of 6-9 August 2011 had been released from prison. In terms of measuring reoffending, these offenders will fall in the cohort for July 2011 to June 2012 whose reoffending will be published in the Proven Reoffending Statistics Quarterly Bulletin in April 2014. This is because we allow a one-year follow-up period for reoffending to occur and a further six-month waiting period for offences to be processed by the courts.
	For your information, reoffending statistics are available from the Ministry of Justice website at:
	www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/reoffending/proven-re-offending
	The latest information on the public disorder in August 2011 is available at:
	www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/criminal-justice/public-disorder-august-11

Road Traffic Offences

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice to what extent the UK participates in EU decision SCH/Com-ex (99) 11 rev.2 on co-operation in proceedings for road traffic offences; and what assessment he has made of the effect of any such participation on the prosecution of road traffic offences in the UK.

Crispin Blunt: The UK participates in this EU decision and has implemented it in so far as we have implemented Framework Decision 2005/214/JHA, which in part supersedes it. The UK must decide, no later than 31 May 2014, whether to accept full European Court of Justice jurisdiction over those EU police and criminal justice measures adopted before 1 December 2009 which have not been amended or replaced. This instrument falls within the scope of this decision and is being reviewed accordingly.

Unpaid Fines: Lancashire

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the value was of uncollected fines in (a) Blackpool and (b) Wyre for each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Jonathan Djanogly: Financial penalties are collected by local accounting centres which collect financial penalties on behalf of courts in their area. Lancashire Accounting Centre enforces fines imposed by Blackpool, Blackburn, Chorley, Lancaster, Preston and Reedley magistrates courts and the Crown Court sitting at Burnley and Preston. Accounting centres do not record amounts collected and outstanding at a court or geographic breakdown and are the lowest level we can go to without manually inspecting individual accounts which would incur disproportionate costs.
	Table 1 as follows shows the outstanding balance at Lancashire Accounting Centre on 31 March 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 and 2008.
	Financial penalties include amounts for fines, costs, prosecution costs, legal aid, victim surcharge, compensation and unpaid fixed penalties and penalty notices for disorder that are transferred to HMCTS for enforcement. The outstanding balance includes fines which are being collected by instalments and outstanding monies from previous months/years.
	Over the last few years there has been an increase in fine collections by Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). Last year (2011) we collected £277 million in fines, compared to £251 million in 2009—a 10% increase.
	HMCTS has achieved this by focusing on early compliance with financial impositions by using a number of methods such as telephone and text message reminders to defaulters, intelligence tracing tools, increased use of enforcement sanctions like deduction from benefit orders and attachment of earnings and targeted payment blitzes on specific groups of defaulters. There are a number of other initiatives being developed to further improve the collection of financial penalties.
	
		
			 Table 1: Outstanding balance of financial penalties at Lancashire Accounting Centre as at 31 March in each of the last five years 
			  Outstanding balance (£) 
			 31 March 2012 11,604,000 
			 31 March 2011 12,476,000 
			 31 March 2010 13,111.000 
			 31 March 2009 13,870.000 
			 31 March 2008 12,236,000 
			 Note: Rounded to nearest thousand pounds.

Victim Support Schemes

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  with reference to the Government's response to their consultation on victims and witnesses, when his Department will publish further details on how local commissioning will be implemented;
	(2)  with reference to the Government's response to their consultation on victims and witnesses, if he will make it his policy to ring-fence police and crime commissioner budgets for victims' services;
	(3)  with reference to the Government's response to their consultation on victims and witnesses, if he will hold discussions with stakeholders on the practicalities of implementing the commissioning of victims' services by police and crime commissioners.

Crispin Blunt: On 2 July the Government announced in our response to the consultation “Getting it Right for Victims and Witnesses'” that by 2015 police and crime commissioners (PCCs) will be responsible for commissioning the bulk of victims' services.
	There is more work to be done before we are in a position to provide further details of how local commissioning will be implemented but we will certainly engage with stakeholders to help us consider the practicalities.
	PCCs are an important element of the Government's drive towards greater localism and freedom to make informed choices is fundamental to their role. As such, it is not the Government's intention to ring-fence the funding that will go to them.

Welfare Tax Credits

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the (a) average and (b) maximum waiting time was for an appeal for a tax credit decision in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jonathan Djanogly: Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) hears appeals against Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs (HMRC) decisions on tax credits.
	(a) During the period 1 January to 31 March 2012 (the latest period for which data have been published) the average time taken from receipt of a tax credit appeal by the Social Security and Child Support (SSCS) Tribunal until the date of the decision being issued was 18.1 weeks. In most tax credit appeal hearings a decision notice is issued on the day of the hearing.
	(b) The SSCS Tribunal does not hold information on the single longest period an appellant has waited for a benefit appeal hearing. The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost by manually checking individual case files. However, during the period 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 4,400 tax credit appeals were disposed of (an increase of 57% on the same period in 2010-11). Of these, 0.3% were more than two years old. Those appeals that take longer than two years to be disposed of are likely to be complex cases which may have more than one hearing. For example, a first hearing may have been adjourned for further evidence to be gathered.
	HMCTS has continued to respond strongly to the significant increase in appeal cases received by the SSCS Tribunal. It is working hard to increase the capacity of the SSCS Tribunal and reduce waiting times. It has implemented a range of measures which include recruiting more judges and medical panel members; increasing administrative resources and streamlining processes; securing additional hearing venues across the country; increasing the number of cases listed in each tribunal session; running double shifts in its largest processing centre; running Saturday sittings in some of the busiest venues; and establishing a customer contact centre to deal with telephone inquiries.
	All of this is having a positive effect. The total number of disposals has increased significantly from 279,000 in 2009-10 to 380,000 in 2010-11, and 433,600 appeals in 2011-12, with the capacity for half a million disposals in 2012-13. Perhaps most notably, the tribunal disposed of more appeals than it received in every month between January 2011 and February 2012 (14 consecutive months) and the outstanding caseload within the tribunals fell by 25% in 2011-12 to reach 145,000 on 31 March 2012. The average waiting time has stabilised nationally and is beginning to fall across many venues.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Biofuels

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what provisions have been made to ensure that the companies receiving subsidies for biofuel use comply with the UN declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples and International Labour Organisation Convention 169.

Stephen O'Brien: The UK Government support commercial biofuel production. Sustainability criteria to support schemes for energy generated from biofuels are set under the European Union renewable energy directive (RED); the UK cannot deviate from these. These criteria must show greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions saving compared to fossil fuel use and restrictions to protect land with high carbon or biodiversity value.
	The Department for International Development (DFID) does not provide subsidies to companies to produce biofuels. DFID has supported the development of the Principles of Responsible Agricultural Investment and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation Voluntary Guidelines on land use to set voluntary international standards for investment in agricultural production including biofuels. The Voluntary Guidelines explicitly encourage recognition and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples. The UK Government are also a signatory to the UN declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples.
	Under RED the European Commission must monitor and report every two years on the impact of biofuel policy and increased demand for biofuel on social sustainability. Reports must address issues of land use rights and must also state whether the production of raw material for biofuel for use in the EU complies with conventions of the International Labour Organisation.

Biofuels

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what safeguards are in place to ensure that biofuels used in the UK have not been grown on the land of indigenous peoples without their free, prior and informed consent.

Stephen O'Brien: The UK Government are clear that biofuel production should not be detrimental to local communities, their food security, livelihoods, or the environment. The European Commission must monitor and report every two years on the impact of biofuel policy and increased demand for biofuel on social sustainability. Reports must address issues of land use rights and must also state whether the production of raw material for biofuel for use in the European Union (EU) complies with conventions of the International Labour Organisation. If necessary, the Commission must propose corrective action. The Government will press for proper account to be taken of the social impacts of bioenergy production in EU policy.
	We have supported work to develop Principles of Responsible Agricultural Investment and the Voluntary Guidelines on land use, which will help to set voluntary international standards for investment in agricultural production including biofuels.

Burma

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate his Department has made of the number of internally displaced people in Burma (a) on the most recent date for which figures are available and (b) in June 2011; and what the change in the level of his Department's funding for internally displaced people has been in the last year.

Alan Duncan: Reports estimate that there are between 55,000 and 100,000 people currently displaced as a result of the recent unrest in Rakhine state. In Kachin state it is estimated that some 65,000 people are currently displaced. Along the Thai-Burma border it is estimated that there are approximately 141,000 people currently displaced.
	For June 2011 reports show that there was an estimated 150,000 people displaced along the Thai-Burma border.
	In 2011, bilateral funding from DFID for internally displaced people along the Thai-Burma border was around £1.4 million. This is an increase of around £300,000 compared to 2010. We are currently reviewing bids for DFID's new programme of support to internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees along the Thai-Burma border, which is planned to start later this year.
	In January this year the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), announced that DFID will be allocating an additional £2 million of bilateral funds for IDPs in Kachin. To date, just over £1.1 million of this has been spent.

Developing Countries: Biofuels

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he plans to take to address the effect of biofuels on developing countries; and what discussions he has had with (a) his EU counterparts and (b) the European Commission on biofuels and developing countries.

Stephen O'Brien: The UK Government are clear that the production of biomass for bioenergy must not undermine food security in the UK or internationally. Biofuel production should not adversely impact on food prices and availability, or on local people's access to land and other natural resources, in developing countries. The Department for International Development (DFID) continues to assess the evidence for the impact of biofuels on developing countries. Any steps taken will be predicated on the principle that food production must remain the primary goal of agriculture.
	The Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell), has not had formal discussions on biofuels with his European counterparts or the European Commission. DFID is working closely with other UK Government Departments, including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the Department for Transport, to address concerns related to the impact of biofuels on food prices and on developing countries. These concerns have also been addressed in the DECC ‘UK Bioenergy Strategy’, published in April.

Developing Countries: Family Planning

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to the London Summit on Family Planning, what estimate he has made of the proportion of unintended pregnancies in developing countries which were the result of forced or coerced sex.

Andrew Mitchell: The ability of women and girls to use contraception is hindered when they are in abusive relationships where domestic violence or forced sex takes place. Evidence indicates that the risk of unintended pregnancy is higher in the context of poor partner communication and a higher rate of domestic violence.
	Adolescent girls, including girls who are married to or in relationships with older men, are particularly at risk. In Malawi and Ghana studies report that around a third of the girls reported that they were not “willing at all” during their first sexual experience.
	The London Summit on Family Planning recognises the risks of coerced sex and commitments sought by the summit therefore include measures to address the wider context of women's and girls' empowerment.

Manchester Declaration

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress his Department has made on implementation of the Manchester Declaration of 2005.

Alan Duncan: DFID had no involvement in the implementation of the Manchester Declaration, which was led by the Cabinet Office.

Middle East

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to encourage Arab nations to support his Department's projects in the Gaza strip.

Alan Duncan: The UK supports a range of interventions in Gaza and works closely with other donors, including Arab nations, to make sure our work is co-ordinated and reflects Palestinian Authority priorities. This includes raising movement and access restrictions with the Israeli authorities. The UK is actively encouraging Arab and other donors to provide predictable financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority budget, of which about 40% is spent on service delivery in Gaza.

Pay

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the lowest hourly rate paid to staff by his Department is; how many members of staff based outside London are paid less than £7.20 per hour; and how many members of staff based in London are paid less than £8.30 per hour.

Alan Duncan: The lowest paid members of staff at the DFID are clerical assistants (C2), based outside of London, who are paid £8.08 per hour. No members of DFID staff are paid below £7.20 per hour (outside London) or are paid below £8.30 per hour in London.

Private Sector

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what definition his Department uses of the private sector in respect of this pillar of his Department's work.

Stephen O'Brien: DFID uses a broad definition of the private sector, encompassing private enterprises of all sizes, and in developing countries and elsewhere, for example including small-holder farmers, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, larger firms, financial institutions and multinational corporations.

Private Sector

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding mechanisms his Department uses to deliver work with the private sector.

Stephen O'Brien: The various funding mechanisms the Department for International Development (DFID) uses are laid out in the operational plans of all DFID offices and departments and are available on our website:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/news/latest-news/2011/action-plans-set-out-future-of-uk-aid/
	The range of funding mechanisms available for businesses wanting to work with DFID are also outlined on our website:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Work-with-us/Funding-opportunities/Business/
	and there is an overview of the approaches DFID takes to deliver work with the private sector in our 2011 publication ‘The Engine of Development’, available at:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Documents/publications1/Private-sector-approach-paper-May2011.pdf

South Sudan

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in South Sudan.

Alan Duncan: We are monitoring the situation in South Sudan closely. The humanitarian situation in South Sudan has deteriorated significantly since December. The refugee crisis along the border between Sudan and South Sudan, the situation in Abyei and the potential for widespread food insecurity are our key current humanitarian concerns. DFID has already allocated over £29 million to the humanitarian response in South Sudan and will provide over 130,000 people with clean drinking water, and 100,000 people with emergency food assistance. However, the consequences of the oil shutdown are exacerbating the deterioration of the broader country-wide humanitarian situation. Last month the Consolidated Appeal Process raised its target for 2012 from $776 million to $1.2 billion. It is now roughly 30% funded.
	The UK Government are one of the leading donors to the humanitarian response in South Sudan, both through our direct funding (£15 million through CHF, £2 million through ICRC, and £10 million through WFP) and through our support channelled through the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO). This assistance will help support thousands of vulnerable and displaced people.

South Sudan

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the answer of 27 June 2012, Official Report, column 279W, on South Sudan, what recent assessment he has made of the crisis in South Sudan; what recent discussions he has had with representatives of (a) other Governments and (b) the UN High Commissioner for Refugees on the level of extra funds needed; if he will provide additional UK funds to alleviate the crisis; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen O'Brien: We are monitoring the situation in South Sudan closely. During my visit to South Sudan in April 2012, I saw for myself the dire situation in the border region with Sudan and was briefed on humanitarian needs across the country. In response to increasing needs, the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has bid for $20 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund, to which the UK contributes 20%. We are also encouraging other donors to increase their humanitarian funding. Officials in the DFID office in Juba co-ordinate closely with representatives of other Governments and humanitarian agencies to establish a common view of the level of humanitarian need and officials from my Department held a meeting with the Head of the UNHCR South Sudan office in London on 5 July.

UN Women

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with the executive director of UN Women; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Duncan: DFID is in regular contact with the executive director for UN Women and her officials in a variety of formats. Most recently, at the executive board of UN Women the UK made a national statement welcoming the progress that has been made to date and highlighting the priorities for the year ahead. The Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell), met with the deputy executive director to discuss this while in New York last month and has a meeting with the executive director to discuss this further when she is in London for the family planning summit.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Fast-Tracked Prosecutions: Olympics and Paralympics

Diana Johnson: To ask the Attorney-General what progress he has made on introducing fast-tracked prosecutions during the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.

Edward Garnier: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the oral question from the hon. Member for Bethnal Green and Bow (Rushanara Ali) today.

Non-molestation Orders

Stella Creasy: To ask the Attorney-General if he will publish data on the number of breaches of non-molestation orders and restraining orders where domestic violence is an aggravating factor in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.
	The number of defendants found guilty at all courts for breach of a non-molestation order and breach of a restraining order (under section 5 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997), in England and Wales, in each year between 2009 and 2011 (latest currently available), can be viewed in the following table.
	It is known that there were issues in the central recording of offences resulting from a breach of a previously imposed court order. These issues were subsequently resolved allowing information on prosecutions and convictions for breach of a non-molestation order to be collated from 2009 onwards only.
	Information held centrally by the Ministry of Justice includes details on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. This statistical information does not include all the specific circumstances of each case other than where specified in the statute. It is therefore not possible to separately identify proceedings brought for breaches of non-molestation orders and restraining orders where domestic violence was a factor from those where it was not.
	
		
			 Defendants(1) found guilty at all courts for offences of breach of a non-molestation order(2) and breach of a restraining order(3) in England and Wales in each year between 2009 and 2011 
			  Found guilty: 
			 Offence 2009 2010 2011 
			 Breach of a non-molestation order 2,279 2,626 2,552 
			 Breach of a restraining order 1,464 2,920 4,376 
			 (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Includes offences under Family Law Act 1996, s.42A as added by Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004, s.1. (3) Includes offences under section 5 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice

Serious Fraud Office

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Attorney-General when he expects the review by the Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate of the Serious Fraud Office's cases to be completed.

Edward Garnier: Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate's review is expected to be completed in the autumn.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Council Tax

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has assessed the level of resources available for local councils to issue council tax notices electronically as an e-invoice.

Bob Neill: My Department is keen to promote the voluntary take-up of electronic billing for council tax. As set out on 28 May, in ‘Technical reform for council tax: Summary of responses report’, my Department is taking steps to provide greater flexibility which will assist local authorities in promoting voluntary e-billing in their area.
	When adopting a voluntary e-billing system, a local authority will, no doubt, consider the potential savings on printing and postage, combined with the likely greater take-up of direct debits, I would expect such an approach to save taxpayers' money rather than require additional resources; such savings could be passed back to local residents or be used to protect other frontline services.
	For example, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead has recently announced plans to offer Nectar points to residents who choose to sign up to paperless billing and to those who choose to pay by direct debit.

Fire Services: Floods

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many calls fire and rescue services received relating to flooding in June 2012; how many flood incidents were attended by fire and rescue services; and how many people were rescued by firefighters in flood-related incidents. [R]

Bob Neill: Numbers of emergency calls received by fire and rescue authorities are not held centrally.
	The Department receives records from fire and rescue authorities on incidents attended and this includes rescues. However the Department does not yet have these for June 2012. Numbers of flood incidents are produced routinely for the Fire Statistics Monitor whose edition next January will include data up to September 2012.

Fire Services: Floods

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to announce a final decision on a statutory duty for the fire and rescue services to respond to flooding. [R]

Bob Neill: We have been working with partners on this issue as part of the Government's response to the Exercise Watermark Report; we expect this response to be announced in due course.

First-time Buyers: Hendon

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to assist young people to buy their first property in Hendon constituency.

Grant Shapps: Across England the Government have committed to supporting people to achieve their aspirations and feel the pride of home ownership. From 1 April 2012, the Mayor of London has been responsible for strategic housing, regeneration and economic development in London.
	We recognise the particular challenges faced by first-time buyers, and we are providing a range of options intended to help them and others into home ownership, including:
	shared ownership which helps people unable to buy a home without assistance to purchase a minimum 25% share paying rent on the remainder;
	the FirstBuy equity loan scheme, jointly funded by the Government and participating developers, which will help almost 10,500 aspiring home owners by spring 2013;
	the NewBuy Guarantee Scheme which will provide up to 100,000 prospective buyers—including first-time buyers—with access to 95% loan to value mortgages on new build properties, delivering a significant boost to housing supply; and
	the reinvigorated Right to Buy scheme with the new discount cap of £75,000 will also help more people—including first-time buyers—to realise their aspiration for home ownership.
	The Government are also committed to reducing the UK's burden of debt and abolishing the structural deficit. This will help to keep interest rates low and improve credit availability, freeing up lending for first-time buyers.

High Street Review

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans his Department has to assist business communities which were unsuccessful in the first round of the Portas Pilot.

Grant Shapps: In response to the overwhelming interest from hundreds of locations across the country, sparked by the competition for the first wave of 12 Portas Pilots, I announced there would be a second wave of pilots who will receive a share of a further £1 million, support from Whitehall and Mary Portas. 12 further pilots will be funded by DCLG with a further three funded by the Greater London Authority. Winners of the second round will be announced by the end of July.
	I want to ensure all town teams can benefit from the successes and learning from the pilots. Details of further support for unsuccessful applicants will be announced in due course.
	Portas Pilots are part of a package of measures announced in March to revive high streets, including;
	A £10 million High Street Innovation Fund awarded to councils in areas blighted by empty shops and recovering from the riots to help bring entrepreneurs back to their communities;
	A £500,000 investment to help Business Improvement Districts access loans for their set-up costs,
	A £1 million Future High Street X-Fund which will reward the areas delivering the most effective and innovative plans to bring their town centres back to life.
	£1 million funding support to help the development of high street neighbourhood plans as part of our neighbourhood planning programme.

Housing: Construction

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many house building starts there were in (a) 2009 and (b) 2011.

Grant Shapps: House building starts in England were 29% higher in 2011 compared to 2009, rising from 85,600 units in 2009 to 110,230 in 2011 (DCLG, “Housebuilding: March Quarter 2012 England”, 17 May 2012, Table 2a).
	I also note that the value of new housing construction was 34% higher in 2011 compared with 2009 (ONS, “Output in the Construction Industry”, 11 May 2012; figures in constant price terms, for Great Britain).
	Moreover, housing construction orders were up 39% in 2011 compared with 2009 (ONS, “New orders in the construction industry” Q1 2012, 8 June 2012, Table 4; figures in constant price terms, for Great Britain).

Housing: Standards

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many dependent children in (a) Coventry, (b) Coventry North East constituency, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England were living in homes not classed as decent in each of the last five years.

Andrew Stunell: holding answer 9 July 2012
	The data source for this is the English Housing Survey (2008-09 to 2010-11), and its predecessor the English House Condition Survey (2005-06 to 2007-08). Due to the nature of sample surveys, figures can only be provided where sample sizes are large enough to make reliable estimates.
	(a) Not available at this geographical level.
	(b) Not available at this geographical level.
	(c) In the West Midlands the numbers of dependent children living in non-decent housing was approximately:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2010 300,000 
			 2009 350,000 
			 2008 400,000 
			 2007 400,000 
			 2006 400,000 
		
	
	Figures have been rounded to the nearest 50,000, as there is a good deal of uncertainty around these figures due to small sample sizes.
	(d) In England the numbers of dependent children living in non-decent housing was approximately:
	
		
			  Million 
			 2010 2.7 
			 2009 3.2 
			 2008 3.3 
			 2007 3.7 
			 2006 3.9 
		
	
	Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100,000.
	My Department is providing £1.6 billion of funding over the spending review period to help councils ensure council housing meets the Decent Homes Standard. This is expected to deliver an additional 127,000 decent council homes by 2014-15.

Local Government: Procurement

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on the investigation by a local authority of commercial concerns and disputes prior to it awarding a contract to a company involved in such a matter.

Bob Neill: holding answer 9 July 2012
	Subject to their legal duties local authorities are responsible for taking their own procurement decisions, including what investigations they make about a company's commercial affairs and disputes. The local government transparency code requires councils to publish tenders and contracts online to assist local scrutiny and accountability in terms of the awarding of contracts.

Localism Act 2012

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had on extending the provisions of the Localism Act 2012 to enable local newspapers to be identified as community assets;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the proposal that the provisions of the Localism Act 2012 be extended to enable local newspapers to be identified as community assets.

Bob Neill: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 2 July 2012, Official Report, column 569.

Lost Working Days

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average number of working days lost per person was in (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies in each of the last three years.

Bob Neill: The following average number of working days lost per person due to sickness absence reported to Cabinet Office for the last three calendar years for the Department for Communities and Local Government and its agencies, including an aggregate figure, were as follows:
	
		
			  2009 2010 2011 
			 DCLG 4.6 6.3 6.5 
			 Fire Service College 11.5 8.8 14.0 
			 Planning Inspectorate 9.2 7.8 6.4 
			 QEII Conference Centre 6.8 7.4 3.3 
			 Ordnance Survey 5.7 3.1 n/a 
			 Aggregate 6.0 5.8 6.9 
		
	
	Average sickness rates in the Department are below the civil service average. The Department is currently looking at streamlining its policies on sick absence and is taking a pro-active role in working with line managers to tackle sick absence. The Department is committed to the wellbeing of its staff and offers a number of services to assist in minimising staff absences:
	A self-test stress indicator tool for line managers, to help them identify the skills they need to tackle workplace stress in their team, has been developed by the Health and Safety Executive, in association with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and Investors in People.
	Intranet information pages to inform staff on ways in which they can actively seek to maximise their physical and mental health.
	Access to a 24 hour Employee Assistance helpline which offers advice and support for all staff to deal with sick absence.

Non-domestic Rates

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the publication of the Pooling of Non-Domestic Rates and Redistribution to Local Authorities in England Account 2011-12; how much was contributed by each local authority in each of the last five years; and what the value was of sums redistributed to each local authority in each of the last five years.

Bob Neill: Information on the amount of national non-domestic rates collected by each local authority in England in each of the last five years can be found at the following address:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/localregional/localgovernmentfinance/statistics/nondomesticrates/outturn/outturndatalocallevel/
	Information on the amounts of redistributed national non-domestic rates received by each local authority in England in 2007-08 to 2010-11 can be found in row 870 of the revenue outturn summary forms, which have been published as follows:
	2010-11
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/21237421.xls
	2009-10
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/2031728.xls
	2008-09
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/1718972.xls
	2007-08
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/1718946.xls
	I have today placed in the Library of the House a table containing information on the amount of redistributed national non-domestic rates received by each local authority in England in 2006-07 which was taken from the revenue outturn summary form for that year.

Private Rented Housing: Disability

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to ensure that properties available on the private rental market are accessible to people with disabilities.

Andrew Stunell: The Department for Communities and Local Government provides funding for the Disabled Facilities Grant to all 326 local authorities in England for the provision of adaptations to homes to allow disabled people to live independently in their own homes. The grant is available to home owners and tenants alike. In 2012-13 the Disabled Facilities Grant funding is £180 million and over the spending review period to 2014-15 DCLG has safeguarded £745 million for the grant.
	Part M (access to and use of buildings) of the Building Regulations sets out baseline requirements for access in all new housing and in cases where existing properties are subject to a material change of use to provide homes for sale or rental.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Power of Recall

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress he has made on plans to introduce a power for people to recall their Member of Parliament.

Mark Harper: Following the conclusion of its pre-legislative scrutiny of the Government's draft Bill, the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee published its report on 28 June. The Government are carefully considering the Committee's recommendations and will respond in due course.

Rio+20 Summit

Robert Halfon: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received from (a) European and (b) other foreign Governments on his speech to the Rio+20 summit.

Nicholas Clegg: In the build-up to the Rio summit, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and I worked extensively with our partners to prepare the ground for a positive result. We achieved much that the UK fought for and broadly can welcome: Sustainable Development Goals, support for the green economy, sustainability reporting and GDP+—though it did not go as far as we wanted.
	The UK position was developed in close co-operation with our European and global partners. For example, while in Rio I hosted the Natural Capital summit with Norway, Denmark and Colombia. Working with our partners on an international scale will continue to be crucial as we turn words into action, implementing the agreements achieved at Rio.

Lobbying

Mark Williams: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent representations he has received on improving transparency in lobbying.

Mark Harper: The Government received a wide range of responses to their consultation on ‘Introducing a Statutory Register of Lobbyists' which closed on 20 April 2012. I have also received correspondence from MPs and interested parties regarding the Government's proposals.
	The Government will publish their formal response—providing a summary of responses received and setting out the next steps—shortly. This will then be followed by a White Paper and draft legislation setting out the Government's detailed proposals, later this Session.

House of Lords Reform

Michael McCann: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he plans to take to ensure that the primacy of the House of Commons is maintained under his proposals for House of Lords reform.

Mark Harper: The primacy of the House of Commons rests on a number of resolutions and conventions, but it is buttressed and guaranteed by statutes. The Joint Committee on the draft House of Lords Reform Bill recognised this when it said that
	“the remaining pillars on which Commons primacy rests would suffice to ensure its continuation”.
	The Government have ensured that Commons’ primacy will remain beyond doubt by restating the continued application of the Parliament Acts on the face of the House of Lords Reform Bill.

Social Mobility

Stephen Williams: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress has been made on the Government's social mobility strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Nicholas Clegg: This Government remain committed to improving social mobility. On 22 May 2012, the Government published a full update on the progress we have made in the last year on the policies outlined in the Social Mobility Strategy that was published in April 2011.

Devolution

Robert Smith: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent representations he has received from the Scottish Government on the devolution settlement.

Nicholas Clegg: The UK Government position is clear: Scotland is stronger in the UK and the UK is stronger with Scotland in it.
	We said that the referendum should be sooner rather than later. It is time to get on and agree the details of a referendum as the Secretary of State for Scotland, my right hon. Friend the Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Michael Moore), has invited the First Minister to do.

Electoral Register

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will estimate the change in the number of voters on the electoral register between 1 December 2014 and 1 December 2015.

Mark Harper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer the Deputy Prime Minister gave to the hon. Member for Glasgow North East (Mr Bain), at oral questions earlier today.

CABINET OFFICE

Breast Cancer: Death

John Leech: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people aged (a) 49 years and under, (b) 50 to 59, (c) 60 to 69, (d) 70 to 79, (e) 80 to 89 and (f) over 90 years died from breast cancer in each (i) cancer network and (ii) primary care trust in each year since 1997 for which figures are available.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2012
	.
	Tables 1 and 2 provide the number of deaths where breast cancer was the underlying cause of death for each age group, for (a) cancer networks (Table 1) and (b) primary care organisations (Table 2) in England, for 1997 to 2011 (the latest year available).
	Copies of Tables 1 and 2 have been placed in the House of Commons library.

Employment: Lancashire

Paul Maynard: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the net change in the number of private sector jobs was in (a) Blackpool North and Cleveleys constituency and (b) Lancashire in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck dated July 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the net change in the number of private sector jobs was in (a) Blackpool North and Cleveleys constituency, (b) Lancashire area in the latest period for which figures are available. (116077)
	Private sector employment statistics for local areas can be calculated from the Annual Population Survey (APS). Individuals in the APS are classified to the public or private sector according to their responses to the survey.
	Table 1 attached shows levels and the net changes in private sector employment in Blackpool North and Cleveleys constituency and Lancashire between the 12 month APS periods ending in March 2011 and March 2012, the latest available period.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1: Levels and net change in private sector employment between the 12 month APS period ending March 2011 and March 2012 
			 Thousands 
			  12 months ending:  
			  March 2011 Level March 2012 Level Change 
			 Blackpool North and Cleveleys 21 (**)23 2 
			 Lancashire 395 398 3 
			 Note: Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality below. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent. we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220. Key Coefficient of Variation (CV) (%) Statistical Robustness * 0 = CV< 5 Estimates are considered precise ** 5 = CV < 10 Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 = CV < 20 Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV 20 Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes Source: Annual Population Survey

Government Departments: Procurement

Simon Hughes: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which companies are the largest suppliers to the Government by value of contracts.

Francis Maude: As part of the Government's commitment to transparency all central Government contracts worth more than £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder at:
	http://www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/

Government Departments: Procurement

Simon Hughes: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what his policy is on ensuring that Government suppliers do not engage in tax avoidance.

Francis Maude: The public procurement rules require suppliers to be excluded if they have been convicted of various specific offences, which include “cheating the Revenue” and “fraudulent evasion”.
	There are further grounds for exclusion at the discretion of the authority, including failure to fulfil obligations related to payment of tax.

Job Creation: South East

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many private sector jobs have been created in the South East since May 2010.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many private sector jobs have been created in the South East since May 2010. 116414
	Estimates of new jobs created are not available.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of (a) intermediate, (b) advanced and (c) higher level apprenticeships (i) starts and (ii) completions were (A) men and (B) women in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency in the last year for which figures are available.

John Hayes: Table 1 shows information on apprenticeship starts and achievements in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency, broken down by level and gender, during the 2010/11 academic year (the last full year for which figures are available):
	
		
			 Table 1: Apprenticeship programme starts and achievements by level and gender, Bexiey and Crayford Constituency, 2010/11 academic year 
			 Level Starts Achievements 
			  Male (Percentage) Female (Percentage) Total (number) Male (Percentage) Female (Percentage) Total (number) 
			 Intermediate 40.4 59.6 450 49.7 50.3 180 
			 Advanced 53.1 46.9 180 59.2 40.8 100 
			 Higher — — — — — — 
			 All apprenticeships 44.2 55.8 630 53.6 46.4 290 
			 ‘—’ Indicates a base value of less than 5. Notes: 1. Percentages are rounded to 1.d.p. Totals are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Percentages are based on unrounded figures. 3. Geography is based upon the home postcode of the learner. Geographic information is based on boundaries of regions as of May 2010. Source: Individualised Learner Record. 
		
	
	Information on the number of apprenticeship starts and achievements is published in a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR and supplementary tables were published on 28 June 2012:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current
	Further breakdowns including gender, level and geography are available as a supplementary table:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_supplementary_tables/Apprenticeship_sfr_supplementary_tables/

Arms Trade

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  which developing countries owe the UK debts for arms sales; and what arms this includes;
	(2)  when each debt held by sovereign governments to the Export Credits Guarantee Department under debt rescheduling agreements was incurred.

Norman Lamb: The information requested is not readily available and would involve disproportionate cost to obtain, assuming it is still held, given the age of the export contracts involved, most of which go back to the 1970s and 1980s. UK Export Finance (ECGD) is currently carrying out an exercise to ascertain what information might be available about the debts. Because of the age of the related export contracts and the sheer volume of files involved, this exercise is still ongoing. Subject to availability of staff resources that can be diverted to this task, the aim is to complete it as soon as possible. When the exercise is complete, the information that is available will be placed in the Library of the House.

Billing: EU Action

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects EU Directive 2011/7/EU on late payments to be transposed into UK law.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 9 July 2012
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion (Caroline Lucas) on 27 June 2012, Official Report, column 311W

Business: Regulation

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what criteria his Department and its Executive agencies use to determine whether or not to grant waivers for micro-businesses in respect of the introduction of new regulations.

Mark Prisk: The Government's policy on the application of new regulation to micro-businesses is set out in the document ‘Guidance on Moratorium on New Domestic Regulation for Micro-Businesses and Start-Ups' at:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/better-regulation/docs/g/11-1198-guidance-moratorium-on-new-domestic-regulation

Direct Selling

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what guidance his Department provides to Trading Standards on doorstop selling and cold calling;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of the effect of doorstep selling and cold calling on old people;
	(3)  what steps his Department has taken to encourage local communities to establish No Cold Calling Zones.

Norman Lamb: The Department does not issue guidance specifically for trading standards officers. It does, however, issue or contribute to a variety of guidance for business, including guidance published on the BIS and Business Link websites. Guidance covers a number of regulations which are relevant to doorstep selling and cold calling—for example, on the application of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (SI 2008/1277) and on the cancellation of Contracts made in a Consumer's Home or Place of Work etc Regulations 2008 (SI 2008/1816). I understand that trading standards officers consult our guidance, although particular enforcement strategies are a matter for each local authority to decide.
	The Department has made no recent assessment of the effect of doorstep selling and cold calling on old people. More generally, in April this year the Office of Fair Trading published its evaluation of the effects of its 2004 market study into doorstep selling. The report is published on the Office of Fair Trading’s (OFTs) website at:
	http://www.oft.gov.uk/shared_oft/reports/Evaluating-OFTs-work/oft1413.pdf
	The establishment of a No Cold Calling Zone is a matter for local consideration based on locally prevailing conditions, This generally involves a co-ordinated approach by a local community, a local authority, and the police. Central Government therefore neither encourages nor discourages local communities to establish No Cold Calling Zones, but we are of the view that local authorities should limit their establishment to those circumstances and areas where there is a compelling evidence-based case to suggest they are needed as an aid to combating crime. The benefits to consumers from measures aimed at crime reduction should outweigh the costs to legitimate business of having restrictions imposed, and those restrictions should be removed when it is apparent that the criminal activity they are aimed at has diminished.

Green Investment Bank

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress his Department has made on the establishment of the Green Investment Bank.

Mark Prisk: We are making good progress on the establishment of the Green Investment Bank. A public company, UK Green Investment Bank plc (GIB), has now been formed. Lord Smith of Kelvin has been appointed as Chair, and Sir Adrian Montague as Deputy Chair and Senior Independent Director. Legislation has been introduced to set the bank's green purpose, embed its independence, and make funding provision for UK GIB.
	The bank is expected to be fully operational later this year, subject to state aid approval from the European Commission. In the meantime the Government is making investments, on commercial terms, in green infrastructure through the UK Green Investments team in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Higher Education: Languages

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effects on the financial viability of UK colleges of the time taken to bring forward a strategy on the future design and content of English for speakers of other languages qualifications.

John Hayes: holding answer 5 July 2012
	English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) adult basic skills certificates at entry, level 1 and level 2 remain in place for 2012/2013. This Department is currently considering the future shape and content for English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) qualifications for 2013/2014 and beyond. This includes the intention to consult with key stakeholders including FE colleges and training providers who deliver ESOL training.

Lost Working Days

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the average number of working days lost per person was in (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies in each of the last three years.

Norman Lamb: In June 2009 the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) was merged with The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) to create The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). Therefore we only have access to data from this date.
	The table shows days lost through sickness absence for BIS core (including UKTI). Days lost due to annual leave cannot be quantified as this information is not held centrally. Agencies will provide their own responses.
	Years overlap due to the way in which data is collected on a 12 month rolling period.
	
		
			  Average Working Days Lost 
			 July 2009 to June 2010 3.8 
			 January 2010 to December 2010 3.3 
			 April 2010 to March 2011 3.5 
			 July 2010 to June 2011 3.0 
			 October 2010 to September 2011 3.1 
			 January 2011 to December 2011 4.6 
		
	
	All BIS core (including UKTI) and agencies sickness absence information is published on a quarterly basis and can be found in the following link:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/about/performance-reports
	The increase in recorded absence in 2011 was expected, as BIS has implemented more robust reporting arrangements.
	Letter from John Alty, dated 4 July 2012
	I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 2nd July 2012, to the Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	Intellectual Property Office's average working days lost per person, as reported to the Cabinet Office at Q4 each year, are as follows:
	Year 2011/12—7.6
	Year 2010/11—7.0
	Year 2009/10—7.9
	Letter from Graham Horne, dated 5 July 2012
	The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has asked me to reply to your question, what the average number of working days lost per person was in (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies in each of the last three years.
	The Insolvency Service is an Executive Agency of the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS).
	The following table shows the average number of working days lost per person through sickness absence. Days lost due to other types of leave cannot be quantified as this information is not held centrally.
	
		
			 Year ending: Average Working Days Lost 
			 March 2010 7.9 
			 March 2011 7.5 
			 March 2012 9.2 
		
	
	Letter from Malcolm Dawson, dated 4 July 2012
	I write on behalf of Land Registry in response to your Parliamentary Question numbered 115292 tabled on 2 July 2012 which asked the following:
	To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the average number of working days lost per person was in (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies in each of the last three years.
	The figures are:
	2011/2012—7.64
	2010/2011—8.49
	2009/2010—8.87
	I hope that you find this information helpful.
	Letter from John Hirst, dated 4 July 2012
	I am replying on behalf of the Met Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 2 July 2012, UIN 115292 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The Met Office reports the average working days lost per person in its annual report and accounts, available on the Met Office website at:
	www.metoffice.gov.uk/learning/library/publications/corporate
	In each of the last 3 years, the average working days lost per person at the Met Office was:
	5.5 days in 2011-12;
	5.6 days in 2010-11;
	4.9 days in 2009-10.
	I hope this helps.
	Letter from Dr Vanessa Lawrence CB, dated 4 July 2012
	As Director General and Chief Executive of Ordnance Survey, I have been asked to contact you in response to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister of State of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the average number of working days lost per person was in his department and each of his agencies in each of the last three years.
	The average days lost due to sickness absence per Ordnance Survey employee for each year are as follows:
	2009-10—4.29
	2010-11—3.91
	2011-12—4.77
	Letter from David Williams, dated 3 July 2012
	Thank you for your question addressed to the Minister of State for the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, what the average number of working days lost per person was in (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies in each of the last three years. 115292
	The UK Space Agency became an executive agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on 1 April 2011 and the only data available is for the period 1 January - 31 December 2011, where the average number of working days lost per person was 1.7. Figures prior to this date are included in the core Department of Business, Innovation and Skills data,
	Letter from Peter Mason, dated 4 July 2012
	I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office (NMO) to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 2 July 2012, asking the Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills about days lost during the last three years.
	The average number of working days lost per person employed by NMO in each of the last three years was as follows:
	In 2009 - 2010 an average of 4 days per person
	In 2010-2011 an average of 3.5 days per person
	In 2011 - 2012 an average of 4.9 days per person
	This information is made available publicly each financial year in the NMO Annual Report and Accounts, as required.
	Letter from Tim Moss, dated 5 July 2012
	I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 2 July 2012, UIN 110971 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The average number of days lost per person in Companies House in each of the last three years was as follows.
	2009/10—11.18
	2010/11—10.86
	2011/12—10.81
	Letter from Kim Thorneywork, dated 5 July 2012
	Thank you for your question in asking the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the average number of working days lost per person was in his Department and each of its agencies in each of the last three years.
	Please be advised that the Skills Funding Agency (the Agency) has only been in existence since April 1st 2010 and as such it is only possible to provide this data for each of the last 2 years.
	Year 1 (Apr 2010 to Mar 2011)
	The average number of sickness absence days lost per person = 6.47 working days
	Year 2 (Apr 2011 to Mar 2012)
	The average number of sickness absence days lost per person = 6.16 working days
	2 Year Average (Apr 2010 to Mar 2012)
	The average number of sickness absence days lost per person = 6.32 working days

Manufacturing Industries: Regulation

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to reduce the number of regulations affecting the manufacturing sector.

Mark Prisk: The Red Tape Challenge has run a specific manufacturing ‘theme', identifying 38 redundant regulations for removal and a further 19 to improve. The Government have also committed to streamlining procedures for export control, including increasing transparency and keeping customers better informed of timescales for processing applications. Furthermore, plans from other themes such as employment-related law and environment are expected to deliver significant savings to all businesses, including the manufacturing sector—for example, an overhaul of employment tribunals which is expected to save businesses £40 million per year and a package of environmental deregulation which will save businesses at least £1 billion over five years. Details on all commitments made through the Red Tape Challenge can be found at:
	www.redtapechallenge.cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Overseas Students

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many foreign students of each nationality started courses in English universities in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

David Willetts: Information on the number of non-UK domiciled entrants at English higher education institutions broken down by country of domicile will be placed in the Libraries of the House. Figures are provided for the academic years 2008/09 to 2010/11. Information for the 2011/12 academic year will become available from January 2013.

Overseas Trade: Malawi

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the primary (a) imported and (b) exported goods and services are between the UK and Malawi.

Mark Prisk: In 2011, the UK exported goods to the value of £18.3 million to Malawi, and imported goods to the value of £31.7 million.
	The top five goods traded between the UK and Malawi are shown in the tables using the Standard International Trade Classification (SITC) at 2 digit detail.
	No services trade data is available for 2011. In 2010 the UK exported services to the value of £34 million to Malawi and imported services to the value of £10 million from Malawi. No product breakdown is available. In 2010 HMRC reported total goods exports of £17.5 million to Malawi and total goods imports of £23.9 million from Malawi. It should be noted that HMRC goods and Office for National Statisitics services trade data are not reported on a wholly consistent basis.
	Source:
	HMRC Overseas Trade Statistics (Goods), ONS Balance of Payments (Services)
	
		
			 UK Exports to Malawi 2011 
			 SITC-2 £ Sterling Percentage 
			 Total 18,333,781 — 
			    
			 78—Road vehicles (including air cushion vehicles) 5,503,799 30.0 
		
	
	
		
			 89—Miscellaneous manufactured articles n.e.s. 5,473,845 29.9 
			 72—Machinery specialized for particular industries 1,029,366 5.6 
			 75—Office machines and adp machines 1,016,555 5.5 
			 87—Professional, scientific and controlling ins and app n.e.s. 1,002,714 5.5 
		
	
	
		
			 UK Imports from Malawi 2011 
			 SITC-2 £ Sterling Percentage 
			 Total 31,729,490 — 
			    
			 07—Coffee, tea, cocoa, spices and manufactures thereof 14,501,271 45.7 
			 12—Tobacco & tobacco manufactures 9,042,580 28.5 
			 06—Sugar, sugar preparations and honey 6,259,284 19.7 
			 05—Vegetables and fruit 1,693,417 5.3 
			 91—Postal packages not classified according to kind 148,900 0.5

Regional Growth Fund

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  when he expects all successful Round One bidders from the Regional Growth Fund to receive their full allocation of allotted funding announced on 12 April 2011;
	(2)  when he expects all successful round 2 bidders from the Regional Growth Fund to receive their full allocation of allotted funding announced on 31 October 2011;
	(3)  how many successful round 1 bidders to the Regional Growth Fund received their full allocation of allotted funding by 12 November 2011;
	(4)  how many successful round 2 bidders to the Regional Growth Fund had received their full allocation of allotted funding by 30 April 2012.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 6 July 2012
	The Regional Growth Fund has made £502 million of funding available to successful bidders since it was established. Funding for the majority of successful round 1 and round 2 bidders is expected to paid in 2012-13 and 2013-14 and will be dependent on bidders satisfying the conditions attaching to their particular grant offer, progress against which is closely monitored. A number of these successful bids were for programmes, where beneficiaries receive funding that they disburse to projects on behalf of the Government.
	No successful round one bidders had received their full allocation of funding by 12 November 2011. Eight successful round two beneficiaries, all relating to the programmes mentioned above, had received all of their allotted funding by 30 April 2012.

Regional Growth Fund

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses in (a) Liverpool, Walton constituency, (b) Merseyside and (c) England and Wales have received funding from the Regional Growth Fund since its inception.

Mark Prisk: Since the Regional Growth Fund was established 46 applicants have received funding, four of these are in Merseyside and one is in the Liverpool city region.
	We do not break down figures by constituency; the most detailed breakdown is at a local authority district level.

Regional Growth Fund

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will increase the number of full-time staff in his Department working solely on the administration of the Regional Growth Fund.

Mark Prisk: I am pleased to say that the number of full-time staff working on the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) has already been increased. As of 6 July 2012, there are 52 full-time equivalent staff working on the administration of the RGF.
	The RGF staff comprises a mixture of accountants, economists, policy specialists and administrative staff.

Regional Growth Fund: Merseyside

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what projects in Merseyside have received or have been announced as being expected to receive funding from the Regional Growth Fund; how much was awarded to each such project; and what funds had been released to each project from the Regional Growth Fund as at 1 July 2012.

Mark Prisk: The following projects in the Merseyside region are expected to receive funding from the Regional Growth Fund. The total amount awarded is £96,728,724. The total amount paid to those projects which have started is £31,872,900 as at 1 July 2012.
	
		
			 Final offers Award made (£) 
			 Crown Speciality Packaging UK 1,030,000 
			 Eldonians Group Ltd 25,335,000 
			 Getrag Ford Transmissions 3,360,000 
			 Harpscreen (GB) Ltd 1,097,750 
			 Liverpool Echo/Aspire Fund 1,000,000 
			 Pilkington United Kingdom Ltd 5,000,000 
			 Redx Pharma Ltd 5,920,000 
		
	
	Provisional offers (award not yet finalised)
	Dairy Crest Ltd
	Keepmoat Homes Ltd
	North West Aerospace Alliance
	Sefton Council
	Unilever.

Students: Loans

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer, (b) student representatives, (c) higher education representative groups and (d) religious groups on the implementation of Sharia compliant student loans; and what the outcome was of those discussions;
	(2)  what plans he has to introduce student loans that are Sharia compliant.

David Willetts: I met representatives of the National Union of Students (NUS) and the Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS) on 21 March 2011 and the chancellor and vice chancellor of the university of Bolton on 26 March this year to discuss the option of introducing an alternative finance version of student loans.
	Officials in BIS have had meetings over the last year with officials from HM Treasury, student representatives, higher education representative groups and alternative finance experts, as part of an examination of whether an alternative finance student loan is feasible and likely to be taken up, if available.
	This Department has identified a variant of the student loan system based on a Murabaha transaction that may prove attractive for those students who may prefer not to take up their entitlement to conventional loans. This system would in principle provide a student with the same level of financial support and produce identical repayments as conventional student loans. However there are several major issues still to be addressed concerning the use of a Murabaha for these purposes. These include the legislative basis for the system, and the VAT and tax treatment of the Murabaha.

Students: Loans

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what agreement he has made with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on carrying over funding allocated to 24+ advanced learner loans for the 2013-14 to the 2014-15 academic year in the event of the full allocation for 2013-14 not being taken up by adult learners.

John Hayes: holding answer 6 July 2012
	The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has made no agreement with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on carrying over funding allocated to 24+ advanced learning loans for the 2013-14 to 2014-15 financial year, in the event of the full allocation for 2013-14 financial year not being taken up by adult learners.
	The mechanisms by which Departments can carry over funding between financial years are set out in Managing Public Money, Chapter 2:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/consolidated_budgeting_guidance_201213.pdf
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has made no decision at this time on what, if any, Budget exchange requests might be made in 2013-14.

Work Experience

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many interns work in his Department's press office.

Norman Lamb: BIS has no interns working in the press office.

EDUCATION

Children's Centres

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) children's and (b) Sure Start centres have closed in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah Teather: Children's centres and Sure Start centres are the same. It is for local authorities, in consultation with local communities, to determine the most effective way of delivering children's centre services to meet local need. Local authorities have duties under the Childcare Act 2006 to ensure sufficient provision of children's centres, and to consult before opening, closing or significantly changing services provided through children's centres.
	At the end of June 2012, information supplied by local authorities on the Sure Start On database showed that there were 3,350 Sure Start Children's Centres. This represents a net reduction of 281 since April 2010 which is largely due to local reorganisations such as the merger of two or more centres.
	There have been 16 outright closures.

Special Educational Needs

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children with special educational needs were given an out-of-authority placement in each local authority in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Sarah Teather: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of pupils(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 )with a statement of special educational needs, resident in England and attending school outside their resident local authority, 2011, England 
			   Number 
			  England 16,286 
			    
			  North East 625 
			 E06000005 Darlington 17 
			 E06000047 Durham 124 
			 E08000020 Gateshead 47 
			 E06000001 Hartlepool 15 
			 E06000002 Middlesbrough 26 
			 E08000021 Newcastle upon Tyne 82 
			 E08000022 North Tyneside 38 
			 E06000048 Northumberland 96 
			 E06000003 Redcar and Cleveland 59 
			 E08000023 South Tyneside 38 
			 E06000004 Stockton-on-Tees 51 
			 E08000024 Sunderland 40 
			    
			  North West 1,925 
			 E06000008 Blackburn with Darwen 52 
			 E06000009 Blackpool 38 
			 E08000001 Bolton 47 
			 E08000002 Bury 79 
			 E06000049 Cheshire East 289 
			 E06000050 Cheshire West and Chester 90 
			 E10000006 Cumbria 20 
			 E06000006 Halton 41 
			 E08000011 Knowsley 104 
			 E10000017 Lancashire 276 
			 E08000012 Liverpool 56 
			 E08000003 Manchester 190 
			 E08000004 Oldham 26 
			 E08000005 Rochdale 66 
			 E08000006 Salford 70 
			 E08000014 Sefton 50 
			 E08000013 St Helens 42 
		
	
	
		
			 E08000007 Stockport 76 
			 E08000008 Tameside 70 
			 E08000009 Trafford 82 
			 E06000007 Warrington 70 
			 E08000010 Wigan 51 
			 E08000015 Wirral 40 
			    
			  Yorkshire and the Humber 966 
			 E08000016 Barnsley 68 
			 E08000032 Bradford 129 
			 E08000033 Calderdale 38 
			 E08000017 Doncaster 43 
			 E06000011 East Riding of Yorkshire 197 
			 E06000010 Kingston upon Hull, City of 69 
			 E08000034 Kirklees 67 
			 E08000035 Leeds 52 
			 E06000012 North East Lincolnshire 45 
			 E06000013 North Lincolnshire 36 
			 E10000023 North Yorkshire 95 
			 E08000018 Rotherham 33 
			 E08000019 Sheffield 47 
			 E08000036 Wakefield 20 
			 E06000014 York 27 
			    
			  East Midlands 1,052 
			 E06000015 Derby 54 
			 E10000007 Derbyshire 216 
			 E06000016 Leicester 141 
			 E10000018 Leicestershire 181 
			 E10000019 Lincolnshire 115 
			 E10000021 Northamptonshire 74 
			 E06000018 Nottingham 68 
			 E10000024 Nottinghamshire 175 
			 E06000017 Rutland 28 
			    
			  West Midlands 1,559 
			 E08000025 Birmingham 312 
			 E08000026 Coventry 43 
			 E08000027 Dudley 84 
			 E06000019 Herefordshire 9 
			 E08000028 Sandwell 141 
			 E06000051 Shropshire 84 
			 E08000029 Solihull 121 
			 E10000028 Staffordshire 172 
			 E06000021 Stoke-on-Trent 222 
			 E06000020 Telford and Wrekin 26 
			 E08000030 Walsall 87 
			 E10000031 Warwickshire 116 
			 E08000031 Wolverhampton 64 
			 E10000034 Worcestershire 78 
			    
			  East of England 1,134 
			 E06000055 Bedford 66 
			 E06000056 Central Bedfordshire 156 
			 E10000003 Cambridgeshire 100 
			 E10000012 Essex 284 
			 E10000015 Hertfordshire 154 
			 E06000032 Luton 55 
			 E10000020 Norfolk 66 
			 E06000031 Peterborough 36 
			 E06000033 Southend-on-Sea 64 
			 E10000029 Suffolk 84 
		
	
	
		
			 E06000034 Thurrock 69 
			    
			  London 5,330 
			    
			  Inner London 2,088 
			 E09000007 Camden 162 
			 E09000001 City of London 11 
			 E09000012 Hackney 177 
			 E09000013 Hammersmith and Fulham 98 
			 E09000014 Haringey 131 
			 E09000019 Islington 155 
			 E09000020 Kensington and Chelsea 166 
			 E09000022 Lambeth 245 
			 E09000023 Lewisham 225 
			 E09000025 Newham 102 
			 E09000028 Southwark 190 
			 E09000030 Tower Hamlets 80 
			 E09000032 Wandsworth 123 
			 E09000033 Westminster 223 
			    
			  Outer London 3,242 
			 E09000002 Barking and Dagenham 118 
			 E09000003 Barnet 214 
			 E09000004 Bexley 180 
			 E09000005 Brent 271 
			 E09000006 Bromley 200 
			 E09000008 Croydon 413 
			 E09000009 Ealing 146 
			 E09000010 Enfield 139 
			 E09000011 Greenwich 138 
			 E09000015 Harrow 165 
			 E09000016 Havering 96 
			 E09000017 Hillingdon 98 
			 E09000018 Hounslow 212 
			 E09000021 Kingston upon Thames 93 
			 E09000024 Merton 216 
			 E09000026 Redbridge 168 
			 E09000027 Richmond upon Thames 109 
			 E09000029 Sutton 154 
			 E09000031 Waltham Forest 112 
			    
			  South East 2,501 
			 E06000036 Bracknell Forest 164 
			 E06000043 Brighton and Hove 38 
			 E10000002 Buckinghamshire 235 
			 E10000011 East Sussex 117 
			 E10000014 Hampshire 341 
			 E06000046 Isle of Wight 7 
			 E10000016 Kent 159 
			 E06000035 Medway 99 
			 E06000042 Milton Keynes 54 
			 E10000025 Oxfordshire 44 
			 E06000044 Portsmouth 49 
			 E06000038 Reading 288 
			 E06000039 Slough 72 
			 E06000045 Southampton 55 
			 E10000030 Surrey 338 
			 E06000037 West Berkshire 71 
			 E10000032 West Sussex 147 
			 E06000040 Windsor and Maidenhead 120 
			 E06000041 Wokingham 103 
		
	
	
		
			  South West 1,194 
			 E06000022 Bath and North East Somerset 26 
			 E06000028 Bournemouth 110 
			 E06000023 Bristol, City of 130 
			 E06000052 Cornwall 65 
			 E10000008 Devon 139 
			 E10000009 Dorset 166 
			 E10000013 Gloucestershire 30 
			 E06000053 Isles of Scilly 0 
			 E06000024 North Somerset 33 
			 E06000026 Plymouth 30 
			 E06000029 Poole 50 
			 E10000027 Somerset 72 
			 E06000025 South Gloucestershire 100 
			 E06000030 Swindon 43 
			 E06000027 Torbay 47 
			 E06000054 Wiltshire 153 
			 (1) Pupils living outside of England have been excluded. (2) Figures are based on the local authority of pupil residence. (3) Includes pupils who are sole or dual main registrations. Includes boarding pupils. (4) Includes nurseries, state-funded primary schools (including middle schools as deemed), primary academies, state-funded secondary schools (including middle schools as deemed), city technology colleges, secondary academies, and state-funded and non-maintained special schools. (5) Pupils with no identified special educational needs, school action and school action plus have been excluded from the table. (6) To put these figures in context, there were a total of 224,210 pupils with a statement of SEN in all schools in England in 2011. Source: School Census, 2011

HEALTH

Abortion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what progress the General Medical Council has made on investigating the doctors who were reported to have agreed to illegally perform abortions based on gender;
	(2)  whether the doctors who were found to be willing to sign abortion forms on the grounds of gender of the child have been suspended or whether they are still involved in providing abortion services.

Anne Milton: The Department understands that, as a result of recent media reports, a number of health professionals were referred to their regulator for investigation because of evidence uncovered.
	The health regulators (including the General Medical Council as the regulator for doctors) are statutory bodies and have powers to investigate where complaints are made to them that the fitness to practise of professionals is in question. To date I understand that one doctor has been suspended and a further two had restrictions placed on their duties; this means that neither doctor is able to act as a certifying doctor nor take part in terminations.
	As the health regulators are independent bodies, and as investigations are ongoing, the Department is unable to comment further at the present time.

Abortion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to determine how widespread gender abortion is in the UK.

Anne Milton: Resolution 1829 (2011) from the Council of Europe called upon member states to collect various data on sex selection and implement a number of other measures. We are currently considering what research and data are available that might help us better explore this issue.
	It is illegal for a practitioner to carry out an abortion for gender selection alone. A sex-linked inherited medical condition may be relevant to the certifying practitioner's consideration of whether a specific case meets section 1(1)(d) of the Abortion Act 1967 (as amended).

Alcoholic Drinks

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 22 May 2012, Official Report, column 545W, on alcoholic drinks: young people, if he will assess the effects of trends in gross domestic product on alcohol consumption in people aged (a) 16 to 24, (b) 25 to 34, (c) 35 to 44, (d) 45 to 54, (e) 55 to 64, (f) 65 to 74 and (g) 75 to 84.

Anne Milton: The Department has assessed the overall relationship between trends in gross domestic product and the population’s alcohol consumption.
	However, we have made no detailed assessment of the relation with trends in alcohol consumption by specific age groups. Consumption by age group is derived from survey data commissioned by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, or its predecessors. From 2005, there was a significant change in methodology with regard to the estimation of alcoholic strength and glass size, which means that consumption trends by age group from before 2005 cannot be estimated reliably. The Department has commissioned research to assess the feasibility of work to develop and apply a robust methodology for retrospective adjustment of trend data on alcohol consumption in England.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total number was of alcohol attributable hospital admissions in each year since 1997.

Anne Milton: The total number of admissions with an alcohol related primary or secondary diagnosis is given in the following table.
	The estimates are based on the proportion of diseases and injuries that can be wholly or partially attributed to alcohol. The earliest year for which such estimates are available is 2002-03. Some of the observed increase is the result of improvements in the recording of secondary diagnoses.
	
		
			 Estimated number of admissions(1) with an alcohol-related primary or secondary diagnosis, 2002-03 to 2010-11(2), Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			  Alcohol-related admissions 
			 2002-03 510,780 
			 2003-04 570,108 
			 2004-05 644,738 
			 2005-06 736,054 
			 2006-07 802,066 
			 2007-08 863,566 
		
	
	
		
			 2008-09 945,470 
			 2009-10 1,056,962 
			 2010-11 1,168,266 
			 (1) Alcohol-related admissions The number of alcohol-related admissions is based on the methodology developed by the North West Public Health Observatory, which uses 48 indicators for alcohol-related illnesses, determining the proportion of a wide range of diseases and injuries that can be partly attributed to alcohol as well as those that are, by definition, wholly attributable to alcohol. Further information on these proportions can be found at: www.nwph.net/nwpho/publications/AlcoholAttributableFractions.pdf The application of the NWPHO methodology has recently been updated and is now available directly from Hospital Episode Statistics (HES). As such, information about episodes estimated to be alcohol related may be slightly different from previously published data. (2) Assessing growth through time HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in national health service practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken to outpatient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Alcoholic Drinks: Mothers

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of alcohol-dependent mothers.

Anne Milton: The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) 2007 carried out by the National Centre for Social Research (NATCen) and commissioned by the Health and Social Care Information Centre collected data on mental health among adults aged 16 and over living in private households in England.
	The Department's analysis of the survey data shows that 1,500 women were living in the same household as their son/daughter, step-son/daughter or their foster child. Of these mothers, 43 (3%) were mildly dependent on alcohol and none was moderately or severely dependent.
	Alcohol dependence was assessed using the SADQ-C (Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire, community version). A SADQ-C score of 4-19 indicated mild dependence; a score of 20-34, moderate dependence; and a score of 35 or more, severe dependence.
	A copy of the APMS 2007 has already been placed in the Library.

Antidepressants: Sexual Dysfunction

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 26 April 2012, Official Report, columns 1039-40W, on antidepressants, what assessment he has made of the decrease in libido and other sexual problems that result from the long-term use of antidepressants.

Simon Burns: For information on what assessment has been made of the decrease of libido following long term use of antidepressants I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave him on 26 April 2012, Official Report, columns 1039-40W.
	With regard to the risk of other sexual problems, the available preclinical and clinical trial data associated with the use of antidepressants were assessed at the time of licensing of all antidepressants, and where other sexual problems were found to be a side effect of an antidepressant this has been reflected in the product information for prescribers and included in the Patient Information Leaflet.
	In the post licensing period, the safety of all antidepressants is subject to routine monitoring of reports of suspected adverse reactions from healthcare professionals and patients, and publications in the literature and any emerging data on the risk of sexual problems are carefully evaluated. Most recently in 2009, and then again in 2011, data were evaluated by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency relating to concerns raised by some patients that short and long term use of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants may be associated with sexual dysfunction that persists even after the medication has been discontinued. Expert scientific and clinical advice was sought from independent scientific advisory committees who concluded that the available data were not sufficiently robust to demonstrate a causal association, particularly given that depression itself is known to affect sexual function, and therefore no updates to the advice provided in the product information were warranted.
	The MHRA continues to keep the occurrence of decreases in libido and other sexual problems associated with antidepressant use under close review. Any new data will be carefully evaluated and, where supported by the data, appropriate regulatory action will be taken.

Breast Cancer

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to improve the early diagnosis of breast cancer among patients aged 74 years old and over;
	(2)  how many women had mastectomies aged (a) 49 years and under, (b) 50 to 59, (c) 60 to 69, (d) 70 to 79, (e) 80 to 89 and (f) over 90 years in each (i) cancer network and (ii) primary care trust area in each year since 1997;
	(3)  how many women undergoing surgery for breast cancer were offered immediate breast reconstruction surgery aged (a) 49 years and under, (b) 50 to 59, (c) 60 to 69, (d) 70 to 79, (e) 80 to 89 and (f) over 90 years in each (i) cancer network and (ii) primary care trust area in each year since 1997.

Paul Burstow: Between January and March this year, we provided £2.5 million to support 18 local cancer awareness projects led by the national health service in over 60 primary care trusts (PCTs). Seven of these projects targeted breast cancer in women over 70, as this is an area where survival rates are particularly poor. The evaluation of this work will inform the future work of the National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative.
	Information regarding the number of women offered immediate breast construction after breast cancer surgery is not routinely collected. The National Mastectomy and Breast Reconstruction Audit collected data on women having a mastectomy and immediate and delayed reconstruction surgery between 1 January 2008 and 31 March 2009. There are four audit reports and these are available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/mbrreports
	It is important to note that although all eligible English NHS trusts participated in the audit not all eligible cases were submitted to the audit, and not all of the cases submitted had complete clinical data. The audit only collected data on the surgeries described above; it did not include all breast cancer surgery, such as breast conservation surgery. Some women who initially have breast conservation surgery will have a further procedure, which may be a mastectomy with or without breast reconstruction.
	The Second Annual Report reported that of cases submitted to the audit, 48% of mastectomy patients were offered immediate reconstruction. The audit collected data by NHS trust and cancer network.
	Data concerning the number of women who had mastectomies aged 49 years and under, 50 to 59, 60 to 69, 70 to 79, 80 to 89 and over 90 years in each cancer network and PCT area in each year since 1997 cannot be provided in the format requested.
	We have provided a count of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) for women with a main or secondary procedure of mastectomy and for women with a primary diagnosis of breast cancer and a main or secondary procedure of mastectomy by cancer network, PCT of residence and by age groups requested. FCEs should not be seen as a count of patients as the same person may have been admitted on more than one occasion. Cancer network data are not available prior to 2009-10 and data from 1997-98 to 2008-09 are provided at PCT level only. This information has been placed in the Library.

Cancer and Aortic Aneurysm

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to continue to (a) monitor and (b) publish statistics on access to screening for (i) cervical cancer, (ii) bowel cancer, (iii) breast cancer and (iv) abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Paul Burstow: There are no plans to discontinue monitoring or publishing statistics for either the NHS Breast Screening Programme or the NHS Cervical Screening Programme. A draft statistical return for the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme has been developed and NHS Cancer Screening Programmes is intending to pilot its usage later this year.
	The Department does not currently collect data on abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening. After national roll-out is complete in March 2013, consideration will be given to the publication of AAA screening statistics.

Chronically Sick People: Witham

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many patients there were with chronic medical conditions in (a) Witham Town and (b) Witham constituency in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what the number of people with multiple sclerosis was in (a) Witham Town and (b) Witham constituency in each of the last five years;
	(3)  what the number of people with myalgic encephalomyelitis was in (a) Witham Town and (b) Witham constituency in each of the last five years.

Paul Burstow: Information is not available in the format requested.
	‘Chronic medical conditions' is a very broad term that might apply to many different medical conditions. Information about patients with chronic medical conditions cannot be provided without further specification of the chronic conditions required.
	Information about the number of hospital episodes with a primary diagnosis of multiple sclerosis or myalgic encephalomyelitis for residents of the Mid Essex primary care trust (PCT) area in the last five years is shown in the following table. This is not a count of the number of people with each condition in Mid Essex PCT as the same person might have been admitted on more than one occasion.
	
		
			 Count of finished admission episodes (FAEs) with a primary diagnosis of multiple sclerosis or myalgic encephalomyelitis for residents of the Mid Essex PCT, 2006-07 to 2010-11 
			 Diagnosis 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Multiple sclerosis 147 375 461 584 663 
			 Myalgic encephalomyelitis * * * 6 0 
			 Notes: 1. An FAE is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FAEs. are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission. 2. The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 diagnosis fields in the HES data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital, 3. The PCT contains the patient's normal home address. This does not necessarily reflect where patients were treated, as they may have travelled to another area for treatment. 4. HES are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice, for example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures that may now be undertaken in out-patient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. 5. To protect patient confidentiality, figures between 1 and 5 have been replaced with "*". Where it was still possible to identify numbers from the total an additional number (the next smallest) has been replaced. 6. HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 national health service trusts and PCTs in England and from some independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. Source: Hospital Episode Statistic (HES) Information Centre for health and social care

Contraceptives: Walthamstow

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess the effect of restrictions in access to contraception services in Walthamstow on the healthcare of residents; and how he plans to ensure that all women of all ages in Walthamstow will have a choice of contraception.

Anne Milton: The Department is aware of concerns about access to contraception services in Walthamstow. We understand that the Waltham Forest Sexual Health Steering Group, which includes local general practitioners, primary care trust staff and local authority representatives is reviewing sexual health services locally. Sexual health is a priority of Waltham Forest health and wellbeing board who are developing a joint Clinical Commissioning Group-local authority strategy to improve the health of the local population.

Dental Services: Children

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the cost per child of providing a yearly dental check in school via a mobile clinic or visiting dental professional;
	(2)  what steps his Department has taken to encourage preventative measures for dental disease in children under 16 years;
	(3)  how much his Department spent on treating dental disease in children under 16 years in the last year.

Simon Burns: The cost of a child seeing a dentist for check ups and any associated treatment is met locally from services commissioned by primary care trusts and will vary according to location and dental needs. We do not hold central information on individual treatment costs. Total spend on dentistry is not broken down by age.
	The Government are committed to improving oral health, particularly of children. A new dental contract that promotes a more preventative approach to care will be introduced and elements of that contract, including a preventative care pathway, are being trialled in 70 dental practices.
	In advance of a new contract all dentists are being encouraged to adopt a preventative approach as set out in “Delivering Better Oral Health—an evidence-based toolkit for prevention” published jointly by the Department and the British Association for Community Dentistry. Rates of dentists prescribing high concentration fluoride toothpaste and mouthwash, both key indicators of a more preventative approach, are rising.
	Other initiatives focus on good self care, reaching out to children who are not seeing a dentist regularly. “Brushing for life” is a campaign that delivers oral health advice to parents and their children in community settings such as Sure Start centres and child health clinics.

Diabetes

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to publish a diabetes action plan; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Paul Burstow: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 2 July 2012, Official Report, column 515W.

Diabetes

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent progress he has made on (a) reducing the cost of diabetes to the NHS and (b) improving the quality of life of people affected by diabetes.

Paul Burstow: We take the view that the best means of the national health service getting value from diabetes care—both in reducing waste and in improving the quality of care—is by encouraging NHS providers and commissioners to use data to identify areas of practice where improvements can be made. For this reason the Department supports the National Diabetes Audit and the In-Patient Audit together with the “NHS Atlas of Variation in Healthcare for People with Diabetes”. All provide robust data that aid the identification of areas of best practice.
	One result has been improvements year in year in the delivery of services such as the retinopathy-screening programme and delivery in primary care of the nine diabetes care processes. A suite of tools and materials are also available from NHS Diabetes to local healthcare organisations to help drive improvements.
	In addition, work is in hand to develop best practice tariffs that encourage NHS providers to adopt best practice in clinical care for people with diabetes. The first was in paediatric diabetes medicine and was introduced in 2011-12.

Diabetes: Witham

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the number of people with diabetes was in (a) Witham Town and (b) Witham constituency in each of the last five years.

Paul Burstow: Information is not available in the format requested. Information about the number of people with diabetes is available at primary care trust (PCT) level as patient register data from the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF). Information from the diabetes patient register for the last five years in Mid Essex PCT, which covers Witham, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Mid Essex PCT diabetes register (ages 17+) 
			  Number 
			 2006-07 12,405 
			 2007-08 12,926 
			 2008-09 14,041 
			 2009-10 14,878 
			 2010-11 15,807 
			 Notes: 1. The disease register for diabetes in QOF does not include patients below the age of 17. 2. QOF was introduced as part of the new General Medical Services (GMS) contract on 1 April 2004. Participation by general practices in QOF is voluntary, but participation rates are high and most Personal Medical Services (PMS) practices also take part. 3. The QOF information was derived from the QMAS, a national information technology system. QMAS uses data from general practices to calculate individual practices' QOF achievement. 4. QMAS captures the number of patients on the various disease registers for each practice. This can be used to calculate measures of disease prevalence, expressing the number of patients on each register as a percentage of the number of patients on practices' lists. 5. Patients will contribute to the figures in QOF only if they are registered with a general practice participating in QOF. Not all practices participate in QOF and some participate only in parts (especially PMS practices, which are paid under different arrangements for providing services that are part of QOF for GMS practices). Most indicators in QOF have rules that allow for patients to be excluded (e.g. patient refuses treatment) and so the denominator for a given indicator may be less than the number of patients on the register for that disease. Source: The Quality Management Analysis System (QMAS) database

Electronic Cigarettes

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on the number of people who smoked electronic cigarettes in each of the last five years; what assessment his Department has made of the potential health effects compared to smoking; and what requirements govern the smoking of electronic cigarettes in enclosed public places.

Simon Burns: Available data from a recent (2012) survey carried out by Action on Smoking and Health suggest that up to 650,000 smokers are currently using electronic cigarettes, with perhaps as many as 2,000,000 United Kingdom smokers having tried them on at least one occasion.
	Electronic cigarettes are caught by the provisions of the General Product Safety Directive and associated regulations. Some electronic cigarettes have been tested by local authority trading standards departments and have been found to pose a potential danger to consumers. The available data suggest that there can be great variability in the content of electronic cigarettes, both in the amount of nicotine present and also in relation to other potentially toxic substances.
	Electronic cigarettes are not currently regulated as medicines, which are required to meet appropriate standards of safety, quality and efficacy. In March 2011, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) published the outcome of a public consultation on whether to bring all nicotine containing products within the medicines licensing regime. The response to consultation suggested there was strong support for MHRA regulation. The response to consultation also highlighted the need for further information to inform a decision and the MHRA is coordinating further scientific and market research with a view to a final decision on the application of medicines regulation in spring 2013.
	The smoke-free legislation governing smoking in public places applies to tobacco or other lit products. If an e-cigarette does not involve combustion, smoke-free legislation is not applicable.

General Practitioners

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what restrictions have been placed on appointments of lay members to health commissioning boards; and for what reason any such restrictions have been made.

Simon Burns: The Health and Social Care Act 2012 requires that every clinical commissioning group (CCG) must have a governing body. The Government Response to the NHS Future Forum report committed to each governing body having at least two lay members, one with a lead role in championing patient and public involvement, the other with a lead role in overseeing key elements of governance such as audit, remuneration and managing conflicts of interest. This is to ensure that there is independent oversight of the governance arrangements of CCGs, including systems for managing conflicts of interest and checks and balances for the stewardship of public money.
	The 2012 Act provides for regulations to specify requirements as to membership of governing bodies. The National Health Service (Clinical Commissioning Group) Regulations 2012, laid before Parliament on 26 June, therefore require that each governing body must have at least two lay members. The first lay person must have qualifications, expertise or experience such as to enable the person to express informed views about financial management and audit matters. The second must be someone who has knowledge about the area specified in the CCG's constitution such as to enable the person to express informed views about the discharge of the CCG's functions.
	The regulations also prevent certain individuals from counting as lay members if they would not be able to provide independent oversight. This includes members or employees of NHS organisations/employees of local authorities, employees of the Department and certain health care professionals. A full list of individuals excluded is laid out in schedule four of the regulations.

Health Education

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health from which of his Department's budgets national public health advertising campaigns are funded; and whether he has any plans to change this.

Anne Milton: The External Relations Directorate within the Department is allocated a single budget from which all public health campaigns are funded.
	The launch of Public Health England in April 2013 may mean some administrative changes in the funding of national public health campaigns.

Health Services: Coventry

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) nurses and (b) doctors were employed by the NHS in the Coventry Primary Care Trust area in each of the last five years.

Simon Burns: The information requested is not available in the format requested. Data held by the National Health Service Information Centre for health and social care for the number of doctors and nurses providing NHS primary care within the Coventry Primary Care Trust (PCT) area in each of the last five years is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Number (headcount) 
			 As at 30 September each year 2007 2008 2009 2010(1) 2011(1) 
			 All doctors(2, 3) 244 266 275 286 285 
			 Total qualified nursing staff(4) 516 538 567 573 558 
			 Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff 372 403 421 421 410 
			 Practice nurses(5) 144 135 146 152 148 
		
	
	Both University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust and Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust employ doctors and nurses within the Coventry PCT area. NHS Information Centre data for the total number of doctors and nurses employed by these organisations (not just those within the Coventry PCT area) is shown in the following tables:
	
		
			 University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust 
			  Number (headcount) 
			 As at 30 September each year 2007 2008 2009 2010(1) 2011(1) 
			 All doctors(2) 718 761 800 841 857 
			 Total qualified nursing staff(3) 2,101 2,110 2,210 2,241 2,115 
			 Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff 2,101 2,110 2,210 2,241 2,115 
		
	
	
		
			 Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust 
			  Number (headcount) 
			 As at 30 September each year 2007 2008 2009 2010(1) 2011(1) 
			 All doctors(2) 172 164 159 168 164 
			 Total qualified nursing staff(3) 901 890 862 822 840 
			 Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff 901 890 862 822 840 
			 (1) The new headcount methodology is not fully comparable with data for years prior to 2010, due to improvements that make it a more stringent count of absolute staff numbers. Further information on headcount methodology is available in the Census publication. Headcount totals are unlikely to equal the sum of components. (2) Includes Hospital and Community Health Services doctors and general practitioners (GPs). (3) Excludes medical hospital practitioners and medical clinical assistants, most of whom are GPs working part time in hospitals. (4) Nursing and midwifery figures exclude students on training courses leading to a first qualification as a nurse or midwife. (5) Practice staff counts for 2011 represents an improvement in data collection processes and comparisons with previous years should be treated with caution. Source: National Health Service Information Centre for health and social care

Herbal Medicine: Regulation

Heather Wheeler: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he and Ministers in his Department have had with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on enforcement of the Directive on Traditional Herbal Medicines since it was introduced; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency regularly updates Ministers on a wide range of regulatory issues, including matters relating to the implementation of the Directive on Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products.

Mental Illness

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will establish an inquiry into the (a) increase in the number of prescriptions for anti-depressant drugs and (b) lack of take-up of mindfulness-based therapy for repeat episode depression;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the (a) effects and (b) cost of untreated mental illness on the severity of concurrent physical illness;
	(3)  what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of those with (a) mental and (b) physical illnesses who were treated for their condition in each of the last five years;
	(4)  what proportion of ill health among the under 65s was (a) mental and (b) physical illness in each of the last five years; and how much funding was given to each in each year.

Paul Burstow: People living with significant or persistent mental illness have significantly reduced health and quality of life and live on average 10 to 20 years less than those with no mental illness.
	We do not collect figures on the proportion of those with mental and physical illnesses treated for their condition. However, the Government has made its commitment to achieving parity of esteem between physical and mental health explicit in the Health and Social Care Act 2012.
	The NHS Outcomes Framework 2012-13 (December 2011) sets out the outcomes and corresponding indicators that will be used to hold the NHS Commissioning Board to account for the outcomes it delivers through commissioning health services from 2012-13. Reducing premature death in people with serious mental illness is identified as an improvement area.
	The NHS Operating Framework for 2012-13 (November 2011) includes a particular focus on improving the physical health care of those with mental illness to reduce excess mortality.
	One of the six shared objectives of the Government's mental health strategy, ‘No Health Without Mental Health’, in February 2011 is that more people with mental health problems will have good physical health and that fewer people with mental health problems will die prematurely.
	The Public Health White Paper highlights the physical health inequality for people with mental illness as a public health concern which needs to be addressed.
	We have commissioned the Royal College of Psychiatrists to lead work on how to achieve “parity of esteem between mental health and physical health in practice”. This work, involving leading Royal Colleges, professional associations, charities and others, will consider what specific actions are needed to realise the Government's consistently articulated aim of ensuring mental health is on a par with physical health. As part of this, they will be examining all aspects of mental health and health care, from the complexities of co-morbidity between physical and mental health, to the attitudes and behaviour of mental health professionals, providers, commissioners and the public. The group will report in the autumn.
	The programme budget data in the following table include children and adolescent services (CAMHS) as well as substance misuse, organic mental disorders, psychotic disorders and other. The data in the latter categories are for all adults.
	
		
			 Programme budgeting estimated England level gross expenditure for mental health disorders and total gross expenditure 
			 £ billion 
			  2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Mental Health Disorders (MHD) 9.13 10.28 10.48 11.26 11.91 
			 MHD— Substance Misuse 0.72 0.83 0.93 0.99 1.09 
			 MHD—Organic Mental Disorders 0.75 0.77 0.88 1.32 1.51 
			 MHD—Psychotic Disorders 1.29 1.70 1.84 2.17 1.71 
			 MHD—CAMHS 0.72 0.74 0.69 0.77 0.76 
			 MHD—Other 5.64 6.24 6.15 6.02 6.83 
			 Total programme budget expenditure 84.19 93.18 96.81 103.97 107.0 
			 Source: Programme Budget Data 
		
	
	The Department collects data on the patients in contact with mental health services under the Mental Health Act 2007. The total numbers of those patients are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Patients detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 and patients on supervised community treatment by Mental Health Act 2007 mental category at 31 March, 2011 
			 England all NHS facilities 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Total 15,339 15,181 16,073 16,622 16,647 
			 Source: KP90: Health and Social Care Information Centre 
		
	
	The mental health minimum dataset collects data on the number of patients accessing adult and elderly secondary mental health services and these data are presented in the following table:
	
		
			 Number of people using adult and elderly NHS secondary mental health services, 2006-07 to 2010-11 
			  2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Total patients: 833,369 850,042 863,745 884,316 881,969 
			 Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre mental health minimum dataset 
		
	
	We do not have figures for the overall investment in physical ill health, early indication of the total NHS spend reported a cash increase of 3.02% between 2010-11 and 2011-12 compared to a 1.2% cash increase adult working age mental health services. There was a 1.0% increase in investment of the provision of direct services in the year 2011-12, a direct benefit to patients.
	We will not be establishing such inquiries.

NHS Litigation Authority

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date and with what organisations the NHS Litigation Authority has had meetings to discuss a new system for clinical negligence claims in the last three years.

Simon Burns: The NHS Litigation Authority has discussed a potential new system for dealing with lower monetary-value clinical negligence claims with stakeholders as shown in the following table.
	Table showing dates of meetings that have taken place to discuss a new system for clinical negligence claims in the last three years:
	
		
			  Organisation 
			 7 February 2010 Jonathan Djanogly MP 
			 17 November 2010 Lord Young 
			 20 December 2010 Lord Young 
			 22 February 2011 Ministry of Justice 
			 8 March 2011 Association of Personal Injury Lawyers 
			 11 April 2011 The Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland 
			 11 April 2011 Welsh Risk Pool 
			 19 April 2011 Medical Protection Society 
			 10 May 2011 Medical Defence Union 
			 18 May 2011 Association of Personal Injury Lawyers 
			 8 June 2011 Irish State Claims Agency 
			 22 June 2011 Medical Protection Society 
			 11 August 2011 Association of Personal Injury Lawyers and Action against Medical Accidents 
			 17 October 2011 Lewisham Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 17 October 2011 Medical Protection Society 
			 21 December 2011 Association of Personal Injury Lawyers and Action against Medical Accidents 
			 3 May 2012 Ministry of Justice 
			 17 May 2012 Patients Association 
			 Source: National Health Service Litigation Authority, July 2012

NHS: Inspections

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he proposes that the Care Quality Commission will continue to make unannounced inspections of (a) hospitals, (b) care homes, (c) abortion clinics and (d) other health providers for the purpose of raising standards; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care providers in England and has a key responsibility in the overall assurance of essential levels of safety and quality of health and adult social care services. Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 all providers of regulated activities, including national health service and independent providers, must register with the CQC and meet a set of essential requirements of safety and quality.
	The CQC is responsible for developing and consulting on its methodology for assessing whether providers are meeting the registration requirements.
	Under the 2008 Act, the CQC can make short, focused unannounced site visits with direct observations of care at any time. The CQC has recently introduced a new regulatory model that will see most social care, independent health care services and NHS hospitals inspected at least once a year. CQC will inspect dental services at least once every two years.

NHS: Reorganisation

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the costs of NHS reorganisation in (a) Coventry, (b) Coventry North East constituency, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England.

Simon Burns: National health service bodies are constantly in the process of reorganisation to modernise services and improve value for money. We do not monitor the cost of all local reorganisations.

Nutrition

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2012, Official Report, columns 805-6W, on nutrition, for what reasons expenditure for the Change4Life advertising campaign was reduced in 2010-11 and 2012-13 as compared to 2009-10.

Anne Milton: We have been progressively scaling back the amount of taxpayers’ money spent on Change4Life overall, including media spend, and have looked to others to increase support.
	The contribution, mainly in kind, from our national partners and selected media partners has increased over the same period in line with expectations—60-40%.
	Tracker results for the Change4Life brand show key brand values have been maintained.
	Change4Life continues to maintain a high level of trust with the public.

Nutrition

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for funding allocations for Change4Life in (a) the North East and (b) England in each of the next five years.

Anne Milton: Change4Life is an England wide campaign and covers the north east region. No English region has been specifically allocated a portion of the campaign budget.
	On October 2011. a three year social marketing strategy for Change4Life was approved. This information is contained in “Change4Life Three Year Social Marketing Strategy” which has already been placed in the Library.
	Activity in future financial years is subject to change including approval from the Efficiency and Reform Group at Cabinet Office.

Obesity

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total number was of finished admission episodes involving patients with an obesity related illness in each year since 1997.

Anne Milton: The NHS Information Centre has provided a count of finished admission episodes (FAEs(1)) with a primary diagnosis of obesity(2), for the years 1997-98 to 2010-11(3). This information is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  FAEs 
			 2010-11 11,740 
			 2009-10 10,716 
			 2008-09 8,085 
			 2007-08 5,056 
			 2006-07 3,876 
			 2005-06 2,576 
			 2004-05 2,063 
			 2003-04 1,746 
			 2002-03 1,297 
			 2001-02 1,037 
			 2000-01 1,084 
			 1999-2000 992 
			 1998-99 978 
			 1997-98 780 
			 (1) Finished admission episodes. A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of inpatient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of inpatients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. (2) Primary diagnosis. The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital. The ICD-10 codes used to identify obesity is as follows: E66—Obesity (3) Assessing growth through time. HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector, activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in national health service practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. Note: Additional information Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Palliative Care

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure the preferences of all people at the end of life are recorded and shared between health and social care providers; and how commissioners will be encouraged to develop systems to record the end-of-life preferences of their local populations.

Paul Burstow: The Department's End of Life Care Strategy emphasises the importance of establishing people's preferences and wishes about their end-of-life care. It advocates the process of care planning, including advance care planning, as a mechanism for doing this. Advance care planning aims to clarify a person's wishes in the event of a future, anticipated deterioration in their condition, with attendant loss of capacity to make decisions and/or ability to communicate wishes to others.
	The strategy advocated the establishment of locality registers both to support this process and to enable effective recording and sharing of this information. After successful piloting, the registers (now more accurately named Electronic Palliative Care Co-ordination Systems (EPaCCS)) are being set up across the country with support from the National End of Life Care Programme.
	An Information Standard for co-ordination of care at the end of life (2012) has been agreed to ensure national consistency of key information through a core data set, and is available at:
	www.isb.nhs.uk/library/standard/236
	Implementation of EPaCCS is also an important strand of the Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) end-of-life care workstream, and the Department's QIPP digital team are working with implementers of systems to help identify and address technical challenges, such as how to support the involvement of social care.

Palliative Care

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve the integration of health and social care services to enable more people to die at home if they wish to do so.

Paul Burstow: Provisions in the Health and Social Care Act 2012 place statutory duties on the NHS Commissioning Board, clinical commissioning groups, local authorities (through health and wellbeing boards) and Monitor to encourage integrated working at all levels.
	The NHS Outcomes Framework, the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework and the Public Health Outcomes Framework together support the Government's desire to improve integration of services. Domain Four of the NHS Outcomes Framework, ensuring that people have a positive experience of care, includes an indicator assessing the experience of end-of-life care.
	The spending review and 2011-12 NHS Operating Framework announced details of non-recurrent primary care trust (PCT) allocations for social care, totalling £648 million in 2011-12 and £622 million in 2012-13. The funding, allocated to PCTs, and then transferred to local authorities, was for investment in social services to benefit health and improve overall health gain. PCTs were expected to work with local authorities to agree jointly on appropriate areas for social care investment and the outcomes expected.
	The independent Palliative Care Funding Review, which was commissioned by the Department and reported in 2011, highlighted the importance of effective integration between health and social care services at the end of life. The Department is funding eight pilots over two years which will test all the review's recommendations, and will include both health and social care services.
	The Department is also supporting roll-out of electronic palliative care Co-ordination Systems (EPaCCS), which capture key information about people's care, including their expressed preferences about where they want to be cared for and die, and make these instantly accessible to relevant staff across care settings and organisations. Currently, EPaCCS systems focus on communication between health professionals and organisations. However, integrating social care is recognised as important, and some early implementers of systems are considering how to overcome technical and other challenges.

Prostate Cancer

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to improve research into the causes, diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer.

Paul Burstow: The Department is fully committed to high quality clinical and applied research into the causes, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
	The Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including prostate cancer. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the scientific quality of the proposals made.
	The United Kingdom has the highest national per capita rate of cancer trial participation in the world. The NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) is currently hosting 35 trials and other well-designed studies in prostate cancer that are in set-up or recruiting patients. Details can be found on the UK CRN portfolio database at:
	http://public.ukcrn.org.uk/search
	In August 2011, the Government announced £800 million investment over five years in a series of NIHR biomedical research centres and units. This includes £61.5 million funding for the Royal Marsden/Institute of Cancer Research Biomedical Research Centre, which has a research theme on prostate cancer.
	The NIHR funds 15 experimental cancer medicine centres across England in close partnership with Cancer Research UK. Prostate cancer is included within the disease focus of 11 of these centres.

Royal College of General Practitioners

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 26 June 2012, Official Report, column 234W, on the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), if he will place in the Library a copy of each presentation made by the two drug policy officials who attended the RCGP conference.

Anne Milton: The Royal College of General Practitioners has. published several of the presentations made at its May 2012 conference on its website, including the slide presentation on the misuse of prescribed medications, but not the slide presentation on payment by results for drug and alcohol recovery:
	www.rcgp.org.uk/courses__events/going_for_gold_2012/presentations_and_audio.aspx
	The slide presentation on payment by results for drug and alcohol recovery has been placed in the Library.
	It is important that anyone accessing these documents be aware that each slide presentation was intended to supplement an oral presentation rather than exist as a standalone document.

School Milk

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to promote the uptake of free nursery milk.

Anne Milton: The Nursery Milk scheme has been running since the 1940s and we believe that awareness of the scheme is high, with over 50,000 childcare providers currently registered with the Nursery Milk Reimbursement Unit. The Department is currently consulting on a range of options for reforming the operation of the scheme, looking at making it more efficient—as well as improving its value for money, while ensuring that all children under five attending a childcare setting for more than two hours a day continue to be entitled to receive free milk. The consultation will further raise the profile of the scheme and offer an opportunity for childcare providers to give their thoughts on improving the operation of the scheme.
	In addition, the Department provides guidance on its website explaining the way in which the scheme is currently administered. Information about the scheme is also available on the Nursery Milk Reimbursement Unit's website at:
	www.nurserymilk.co.uk

Suicide

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 2 July 2012, Official Report, column 527W, on suicide, on what date his Department expects to publish the new suicide prevention strategy for England.

Paul Burstow: We currently plan to publish on 10 September to coincide with the International Association for Suicide Prevention's World Suicide Prevention Day.

Thalidomide

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people affected by thalidomide there were in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) each local authority area in Scotland and (d) each health board area in Scotland in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Paul Burstow: The Thalidomide Trust supports 435 people in the United Kingdom whose health has been affected by thalidomide. This breaks down per country as follows:
	
		
			 UK beneficiaries by country 
			 Country Number 
			 England 327 
			 Northern Ireland 18 
			 Scotland 59 
			 Wales 31 
		
	
	Further disaggregated information regarding people living in Scotland who have been affected by thalidomide is a matter for the Scottish Parliament as health is a devolved responsibility.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) serving personnel and (b) Armed Forces veterans have taken or are taking legal action against his Department for (i) injuries, (ii) wounds and (iii) disease they claim are attributable to service in Afghanistan.

Andrew Robathan: The number of common law personal injury compensation claims attributable to service in Afghanistan was 224 as at 30 June 2012. The claims database does not distinguish between serving personnel and armed forces veterans nor is it possible to identify separately, injuries, wounds and diseases. Such claims are recorded as personal injuries.

Afghanistan

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to set up an investigation into the health of Afghanistan veterans similar to that undertaken in relation to Gulf War veterans.

Andrew Robathan: In 2003, the Ministry of Defence commissioned research into the health of military personnel deployed to Iraq. In 2006, the study was extended for a further three years and broadened to include all subsequent Iraq deployments as well as deployments to Afghanistan. The research programme follows a cohort of over 20,000 serving and former members of the armed forces. In 2010, the study was extended for a further three years to maintain the database and further explore the data obtained in phases 1 and 2.

Apache Helicopters

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  when he plans that the Apache helicopter will be upgraded to utilise the Brimstone missile system;
	(2)  what plans he has to marinise the Apache helicopter;
	(3)  what the total number of Apaches in use is; and how many are earmarked for upgrade.

Peter Luff: The Army Air Corps currently operates a fleet of 67 Apache helicopters. The number of aircraft to be upgraded through the Capability Sustainment Programme will be decided at the main investment decision, which is currently planned for 2014.
	While not originally designed as a maritime helicopter, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has modified and cleared the Apache to support operations from the maritime environment as demonstrated from HMS Ocean on Operation Ellamy. The modifications included wet-sealing the aircraft to resist corrosion and modifying the windscreen wipers to include a solution to disperse sea spray. We are also currently in an assessment phase to fit flotation equipment to increase safety when operating over water.
	The Apache is currently armed with variants of the Hellfire missile which are due to go out of service in 2021-22. The MOD will look at various options as a replacement to this capability. The successor to Brimstone, the 50kg class Spear Capability 2 Block 3 missile, will be one of the options considered as a replacement.

Armed Forces: Injuries

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has put in place to diagnose mild traumatic brain injury in infantry soldiers.

Andrew Robathan: A multi-disciplinary team providing a military clinical ‘centre of excellence' for the diagnosis and treatment of mild traumatic brain injuries is based at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Headley Court.
	All personnel, including infantry soldiers, are diagnosed by Defence Medical Services in the same way. Individuals will be assessed by medical staff if, as a result of any incident, they are taken to a medical facility; if they contact medical staff with symptoms of illness; or if their chain of command recommends a medical consultation. This approach is reinforced through education, training and by generally raising awareness of mild traumatic brain injuries among troops, their commanders and medical staff to ensure they all remain alert to this risk.
	After their return from an operational theatre, the Defence Medical Services also conduct selective screening of all personnel seen at Headley Court where there is a history of injury that might put them at risk of mild traumatic brain injury. In addition, all personnel who may be at risk of mild traumatic brain injury admitted to the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine in Birmingham and personnel who report to their primary care services with a history suggestive of mild traumatic brain injuries, should be referred to the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre multi-disciplinary team.
	We also continue to conduct research into the area of traumatic brain injury with Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre, the national health service and King's College London, as well as in collaboration with the US and other NATO partners in order to develop clinical diagnosis and management as well as future improvements in force protection equipment and practices.

Armed Forces: Redundancy

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where the 4,000 personnel recently served with redundancy notices were serving when issued with such notices.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 5 July 2012
	The number of armed forces personnel recently issued with redundancy notices is 3,800. The selection of an individual for redundancy cannot be assumed to imply that the post they occupy on the date of notification is no longer required and as such the geographical distribution of redundancy notices is not a valid basis for assumptions about the future distribution of military posts.
	The following table details the geographical serving location of those personnel when the notices were issued:
	
		
			 Location Royal Navy Army RAF 
			 England 150 2,010 560 
			 Northern Ireland — 100 — 
			 Scotland 10 100 90 
			 Wales — 60 20 
			 Overseas — 600 40 
			 Not known — 10 — 
			 Total 160 2,890 720 
			 ‘—’ Denotes zero or rounded to zero. Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10, except for numbers ending in 5 which are rounded to the nearest 20 in order to prevent systematic bias.

Armed Forces: Training

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what training areas his Department leases overseas.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 5 July 2012
	The Ministry of Defence does not lease any training areas overseas.

Armed Forces: Training

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which firearms training facilities are funded by his Department; and what the cost of running such establishments was in each of the last five years.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence operates and manages 542 firing ranges.
	The cost of running these ranges cannot be separated from the overall regional costs.

Armed Forces: Vehicles

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which overseas military personnel or delegations were present at the Defence Vehicle Demonstration (DVD) in Bedfordshire in June 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: Military personnel and delegations from the Australian, Belgian, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Polish and the US armed forces were present at the DVD in June 2012.

Armed Forces: Young People

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent consideration he has given to raising the recruitment age for the armed forces to 18.

Andrew Robathan: The minimum age at which individuals may join the armed forces remains at 16 years. There are no plans to change this. We take pride in the fact that our armed forces provide challenging and constructive education, training and employment opportunities for young people equipping them with valuable and transferable skills.
	We believe that our policies on under-18s in service are robust and comply with national and international law. In addition to the comprehensive welfare system that is in place for all service personnel, we remain fully committed to meeting our obligations under the UN convention on the rights of the child optional protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict, and have taken steps to bestow special safeguards on young people under the age of 18.

Armed Forces: Young People

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the education and transferable skills acquired by 16 and 17-year-olds (i) recruited and (ii) not recruited to the Army; and what estimate he has made of the employment rate of recruits after they have left the Army.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 3 July 2012, Official Report, column 624W, about the levels of training and education provided to 16 and 17-year-old recruits by the Army.
	The Ministry of Defence seeks to align itself with the Government's agenda on skills, education and training, and we take steps to ensure that personnel have the opportunities to reach their full potential in accordance with the recommendations put forward in the Wolf report.
	While we have not commissioned any specific research into the education and transferable skills acquired by 16 and 17-year-old recruits in the Army, the training they receive in, among other subjects, literacy and numeracy, and the apprenticeships they undertake in areas such as information technology, mechanics and engineering, are all widely transferable. Both the Army Foundation college and the Army Technical Foundation college, which deliver training to 16 and 17-year-old Army recruits, were awarded a Grade 2 (good) in all areas of learning in their last Ofsted reports. The apprenticeships they provide are approved to meet national standards and designed with input from the relevant industry sector.
	Information on the employment rate of recruits under training who leave the Army is not held in the format requested.
	Feedback we have received from all armed forces personnel who leave the Services after completing resettlement under the Career Transition Partnership shows that 92% succeed in becoming settled or gain employment within six months of leaving.

Army

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel serve in each unit of the Army.

Andrew Robathan: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost; however, figures are available, as at 1 May 2012, for the number of trained regular officers and soldiers by arm and service and these are shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Army/Service Number of officers Number of soldiers Total 
			 Staff 760 — 760 
			 Household Cavalry/Royal Armoured Corps 860 4,630 5,490 
			 Royal Artillery 1,030 6,300 7,330 
			 Royal Engineers 1,260 8,580 9,840 
			 Royal Signals 970 7,170 8,140 
			 Infantry 2,670 23,170 25,840 
			 Army Air Corps 470 1,530 2,000 
			 Royal Army Chaplains Department 140 — 140 
			 Royal Logistic Corps 1,520 13,240 14,760 
			 Royal Army Medical Corps 1,000 2,000 3,000 
			 Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 790 8,870 9,660 
			 Adjutant General's Corps 1,140 4,980 6,120 
			 Royal Army Veterinary Corps 40 330 370 
			 Royal Army Dental Corps 120 220 340 
			 Intelligence Corps 330 1,350 1,680 
			 Royal Army Physical Training Corps 60 400 460 
			 Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps 270 610 880 
			 Corps of Army Musicians 30 750 780 
			 Total 13,460 84,130 97,590 
		
	
	The above figures include officers (140) and soldiers (3,510) from the Brigade of Gurkhas which are subsumed within those shown for the Army/Service with which they serve.
	Figures are for trained regular strength only and therefore exclude full-time Reserve Service.
	All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.

AWE: Research

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which universities receive funding for research commissioned by the Atomic Weapons Establishment; and what the nature is of such funded research.

Peter Luff: I will write to the hon. Member once the information has been collated.

Cyprus: Military Bases

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on the management of solar energy installations on the Sovereign Base Areas of (a) Akrotiri and (b) Dehekelia in the last year.

Andrew Robathan: From June 2011 to June 2012, the Ministry of Defence has spent some £107,000 on the management of solar energy installations at the Sovereign Base areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia.

Defence Industry

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what proportion of the defence industry is made up of small and medium-sized enterprises;
	(2)  what proportion of the defence industry based in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland is made up of small and medium-sized enterprises.

Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence does not collect information on what proportion of the defence industry comprises of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including how this is broken down across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. As many of the SMEs supplying the MOD are also involved in, and have their primary focus in other areas of activity, it would in any case be problematic to define them as part of the defence industry. Data are collected on the volume and value of contracts awarded to SMEs and I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 21 June 2012, Official Report, column 1086W, to the hon. Member for Stafford (Jeremy Lefroy).

Defence: Procurement

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many projects being delivered by (a) Babcock, (b) Boeing, (c) Cobham, (d) European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company, (e) Finmeccanica, (f) General Dynamics, (g) Kellogg-Brown-Root, (h) Lockhead Martin, (i) Marshall Aerospace, (j) Northrup Grumman, (k) Rolls- Royce, (l) Thales and (m) Ultra Electronics for his Department are overrunning in (i) time and (ii) budget; and where each project is located.

Peter Luff: The information will take time to collate. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as it is available.

DM Kineton

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on munitions processing in Defence Munitions Kineton in the last three years; and what assessment he has made of the time needed to complete the outstanding munitions processing backlog at DM Kineton.

Peter Luff: The processing of unused munitions returned from front line units is a continuous and necessary activity which peaks at defence munitions sites, including Defence Munitions Kineton, when military operations and major training exercises are completed.
	It is forecast that the existing build-up of munitions at Defence Munitions Kineton will take around 18 months to process. A significant improvement has been made in munitions processing at the site, particularly over the last 12 months where output has increased by 54%.
	This improvement has been achieved as a result of continued improvements to operational planning and the application of lean techniques and, in part, to the refurbishment of six additional ammunition processing buildings over the last three years.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on (a) gas and (b) electricity bills in each of the last 10 years.

Peter Luff: The MOD's overall expenditure on gas for fuel and electricity is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 £ million 
			 Financial year Gas Electricity 
			 2001-02 57 107 
			 2002-03 56 92 
			 2003-04 53 98 
			 2004-05 69 114 
			 2005-06 100 141 
			 2006-07 92 170 
			 2007-08 80 167 
			 2008-09 120 205 
			 2009-10 119 187 
			 2010-11 93 184 
		
	
	The figures do not include expenditure by our Trading Funds as they lie outside the Ministry of Defence accounting boundary and PFI arrangements.

Falkland Islands

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with civilian contractors on the provision of search and rescue helicopters in the Falkland Islands.

Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence is currently examining the provision of search and rescue helicopter capability in the Falkland Islands from 2016 onwards. We are not yet in a position to enter into formal discussions with industry although some informal discussions have taken place to aid consideration of the various options. No decisions have yet been made as the project is still in the concept phase.

HMS Victory

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 23 January 2012, Official Report, column 5W, on HMS Victory 1744, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the resources available to the Maritime Heritage Foundation to undertake the conservation and management of the Victory 1744 site.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 9 July 2012
	As a Charitable Trust the Maritime Heritage Foundation (MHF) will be able to access a range of resources to support them in their conservation and management of the HMS Victory 1744 site. MHF have also arranged their own Scientific Advisory Committee to advise them on their proposals.The Ministry of Defence will also oversee, through safeguards within the Deed of Transfer, any proposals made by MHF for works at the site taking advice from an advisory group constituted for that purpose.

Mercian Regiment

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on the future of the 3rd Battalion the Mercian Regiment (The Staffords); and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: In his oral statement to the House on 5 July 2012, Official Report, columns 1087-88, the Secretary of State for Defence, the right hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), announced that the 3rd Battalion the Mercian Regiment (the Staffords) will be removed from the Army Order of Battle.

Military Aircraft

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether the projects for the (a) Chinook fleet, (b) Apache fleet, (c) Apache extension, (d) Puma fleet, (e) Puma upgrade, (f) Warrior Armoured Fighting Vehicle, (g) Wildcat fleet, (h) Merlin fleet, (i) assessment phase for the Merlin marinisation, (j) Voyager air-to-air refueller and troop transporter, (k) A400M air transporter, (l) Air Seeker surveillance aircraft, (m) C17 strategic airlifter fleet, (n) Typhoon fleet and (o) joint strike fighter fleet are on time and on budget;
	(2)  what the (a) total cost and (b) length is of programmes for the (i) Chinook fleet, (ii) Apache fleet, (iii) Apache extension, (iv) Puma fleet, (v) Puma upgrade, (vi) Warrior Armoured Fighting Vehicle, (vii) Wildcat fleet, (viii) Merlin fleet, (ix) assessment phase for the Merlin marinisation, (x) Voyager air-to-air refueller and troop transporter, (xi) A400M air transporter, (xii) Air Seeker surveillance aircraft, (xiii) C17 strategic airlifter fleet, (xiv) Typhoon fleet and (xv) joint strike fighter fleet.

Peter Luff: holding answer 24 May 2012
	For current performance against time and cost criteria for the Puma upgrade, Chinook fleet, Wildcat fleet, Merlin fleet, Voyager air-to-air refueller and troop transporter, A400M air transporter, Airseeker surveillance aircraft, Typhoon fleet and Joint Strike Fighter fleet, I refer the hon. Member to the “Major Projects Report 2011: Ministry of Defence”, published by the National Audit Office on 16 November 2011 (HC 1520-1 and HC 1520-11).
	The Warrior Armoured Fighting Vehicle (Capability Sustainment programme) project is on time and on budget against its latest approval (as at 31 March 2012).
	The eighth CI7 strategic airlift aircraft has been delivered and is in service.
	The main investment decisions for Apache extension and Merlin Marinisation have not yet been made and until then, timelines and costs will not be confirmed. Apache fleet and Puma fleet are completed projects.
	The latest planned length of the projects to completion (from 1 April 2012) are set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Project Programme Length (Months) 
			 (a) Chinook fleet 31 
			 (b) Apache fleet In-Service 
			 (c) Apache extension Awaiting main investment decision 
			 (d) Puma fleet In-Service 
			 (e) Puma upgrade 38 
			 (f) Warrior Armoured Fighting Vehicle - CSP 79 
			 (g) Wildcat fleet 28 
			 (h) Merlin fleet - Mk2 CSP 26 
		
	
	
		
			 (i) assessment phase of the Merlin marinisation Awaiting main investment decision 
			 (j) Voyager air-to-air refueller and troop transporter 25 
			 (k) A400M air transporter 35 
			 (l) Airseeker surveillance aircraft 31 
			 (m) C17 strategic airlifter (8th aircraft) 11 
			 (n) Typhoon fleet In-Service 
			 (o) Joint Strike Fighter fleet Awaiting main investment decision 
		
	
	With the exception of the eighth C17, the latest costs for those projects which are live and have passed their main investment decision are currently being validated by the National Audit Office. These will be published in the Major Projects Report 2012 in the autumn of this year. The eighth C17 will cost £200 million.

Military Aircraft

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what level of autonomy the UK will have in relation to (a) mission systems and (b) computer systems for the (i) F-35 and (ii) Rivet Joint aircraft; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: The F35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft has been designed and integrated to meet the requirements of the nine partner nations involved in the programme, including the aircraft mission systems and computer systems. The UK could modify the aircraft and its systems to meet unique needs, on a ‘pay to be different' basis, however this would introduce non-standardisation into the JSF aircraft fleet.
	The UK will have the ability to modify the mission systems and computer systems equipment installed on its Air Seeker (Rivet Joint) aircraft and ground systems to meet UK-specific requirements, but this would attract additional support costs. In general the UK will strive to keep the standard of its equipment aligned with the United States Air Force as part of the US/UK Cooperative Programme.

NATO

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what multinational projects the UK will be leading under the Smart defence umbrella following the Chicago Summit.

Gerald Howarth: The UK will be leading two projects under the Smart defence umbrella. These are the Immersive Training Environments project, which seeks to enhance NATO's training and education capability through the development of synthetic systems, and the Theatre Opening Capability project which seeks to develop a multinational capability for expeditionary operations to establish a port of debarkation and conduct cargo handling and movement operations.

Nuclear Submarines

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether the reactor for the seventh Astute class submarine can be completed at existing facilities at the Rolls-Royce Raynesway plant;
	(2)  whether redevelopment of the Rolls-Royce Reynesway plant will take place regardless of the 2016 Main Gate decision on Trident replacement.

Peter Luff: All of the Royal Navy's nuclear reactor cores have been manufactured at the Rolls-Royce Raynesway site. After more than 50 years of service, the existing facilities at Raynesway have come to the end of their economic life and a regeneration of the Raynesway site is required to ensure the facilities continue to meet the safety standards set by the Office of Nuclear Regulation. Regeneration of the site has been planned to ensure the delivery of the full planned Astute submarine fleet in line with current requirements.

Nuclear Submarines

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects manufacturing of the reactor for the first successor to the Vanguard class submarine to commence.

Peter Luff: The manufacture of the reactor core for the first Successor submarine is planned to commence shortly after the Successor Main Gate decision in 2016.

Nuclear Weapons

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of whether a nuclear weapons convention would be a viable option to promote nuclear non-proliferation.

Philip Hammond: The UK Government are committed to the long-term objective of a world without nuclear weapons and has pledged to press for multilateral disarmament. We believe our immediate disarmament priorities must be to reach consensus on the entry into force of the comprehensive nuclear test-ban treaty, and the start of negotiations on a fissile material cut-off treaty in the Conference on Disarmament.
	Until the necessary political and security conditions are in place, attempts to establish a nuclear weapons convention would risk diverting political capital and resources away from the nuclear non-proliferation treaty—which we believe is the best vehicle we have for promoting nuclear non-proliferation and creating the conditions for a world without nuclear weapons.

Storage

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on storage facilities provided by the private sector in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: holding answer 9 July 2012
	This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

World War I: Commemoration

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  with which countries his Department has had discussions in respect of (a) joint events and (b) a UK presence at overseas events to commemorate the centenary of the First World War; on what dates any such discussions took place; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  when he last discussed with the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport proposals to commemorate the centenary of the First World War; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many officials in his Department are engaged (a) full-time and (b) part-time in preparations to commemorate the centenary of the First World War; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The Prime Minister has asked my hon. Friend the Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison) to act as his Special Representative and Co-ordinator for World War I Commemorations with Secretariat support being provided by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
	While Defence Ministers have had some limited discussions with their opposite numbers in France and Canada, I understand that my hon Friend has taken part in a series of meetings with international colleagues, including an all nations meeting in Paris in March 2012. In addition he holds monthly meetings with a core liaison group incorporating a number of Whitehall Departments, the Imperial War Museum, Heritage Lottery Fund, Commonwealth War Graves Commission and others to ensure that the UK plays a full and active role in commemorating the centenary of the first world war.
	Defence Ministers have not been involved in these discussions but my officials are participating as necessary.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Atos Healthcare

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 22 February 2012, Official Report, column 853W, on Atos Healthcare, if he will publish the most recent review of the key performance indicators under the contract between his Department and Atos Healthcare.

Chris Grayling: The key performance indicators that are currently used in the contract between the Department and Atos Healthcare have been included as an appendix to the response, which will be placed in the Library.

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason his Department has directed that a Ministry of Justice video advising claimants on how to appeal against a refusal of employment and support allowance should be removed from the website YouTube.

Chris Grayling: The Department did not direct that the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) video about employment and support allowance appeals be removed from the website YouTube. We sought to correct factual inaccuracies within the video which we brought to the attention of MOJ officials who agreed to revise the content of the video.
	We understand that the Ministry of Justice reinstated the video, unamended, due to an administrative error. It has now been removed once more from the website.

Employment Schemes

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if his Department will locate Jobcentre advisers at the premises of Work programme providers to simplify the process of signing on.

Chris Grayling: Face-to-face job search reviews within Jobcentre Plus offices have proven successful in terms of helping people leave benefit quicker than would otherwise have been the case.
	Local Jobcentre Plus managers currently have the flexibility to arrange signing-on at Work programme provider premises, but the practicalities often make this difficult and not cost-effective.
	However, we are testing a number of alternative approaches to see if there are more efficient means of reviewing claimant job search, without undermining the success of the current approach. This includes making use of online technology and alternative approaches to claimants on the Work programme.

Employment Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether Work Programme performance statistics published in autumn 2012 will include data on the number of job outcomes achieved through (a) employment or self-employment and (b) jobs in each different standard occupational code.

Chris Grayling: The release plan for statistics on job outcomes and sustainment payments is dependent on the availability, reliability, quality and accuracy of the data. The details of what we will publish are still to be finalised. When details are finalised we will make an announcement.

Employment Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 2 July 2012, Official Report, column 427W, on employment schemes, whether his Department will be able to mine the free text collected on job titles for either standard occupational codes or numbers of jobs; and whether he intends to monitor the number of jobs obtained by Work Programme participants through the start and end dates of jobs collected.

Chris Grayling: The Department does not intend to collate operational data on job types or monitor the number of jobs that Work Programme participants obtain.
	The Institute for Employment Studies is conducting an independent evaluation of the Work Programme. This will include a survey of participants which will capture the different types of jobs they secure (including standard occupational and industrial codes) and whether participants have found more than one job. The evaluation will report in 2014.

Employment Schemes: East London

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of long-term unemployed people have participated in a work programme in (a) Bethnal Green and Bow constituency and (b) Tower Hamlets since the programme's inception.

Chris Grayling: The information is not readily available, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Employment Schemes: East London

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of those participating in a Work programme in (a) Bethnal Green and Bow constituency and (b) Tower Hamlets subsequently found jobs in 2011 and 2012; and how many in each such category participating in previous programmes in 2009-10 subsequently found jobs.

Chris Grayling: Statistics on how many of those participating in a Work programme in (a) Bethnal Green and Bow constituency and (b) Tower Hamlets subsequently found jobs in 2011 and 2012; and how many in each such category participating in previous programmes in 2009-10 subsequently found jobs are not available.

Employment Schemes: Wales

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people have found employment through the Work programme in Wales;
	(2)  how many people have found employment through the Work programme in Islwyn constituency.

Chris Grayling: Statistics on the number of people who have found employment through the Work programme are not available.

Employment Schemes: Wales

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are on the Work Programme in (a) Wales and (b) Newport East; and how many of them have been successfully placed back into work in both categories above.

Chris Grayling: Statistics on how many people are on the Work programme in Newport East; are currently unavailable but will be published on 8 August at the following website:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=wp
	The Department aims to publish official statistics on Work programme job outcomes in autumn 2012 and it is intended that these figures will include a region and constituency breakdown.
	Statistics on how many people are on the Work programme in Wales are available on the Department's website at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool
	Guidance for users is available at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/guidance.pdf

Housing Benefit

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobseekers under the age of 25 in receipt of housing benefit had their jobseeker's allowance (a) stopped and (b) reduced as a result of failure to attend a job-related interview with Jobcentre Plus in the last year for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: Information on how many people had their benefit suspended for failing to attend a job interview is not available.

Housing Benefit

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people with (a) autism spectrum conditions, (b) learning disabilities and (c) disabilities will be affected by the changes to housing benefit contained in the Welfare Reform Act 2012.

Steve Webb: The estimated impacts of the housing benefit changes on disabled people are published in the relevant equality impact assessments for the Welfare Reform Act, which can be found at
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/eia-social-sector-housing-under-occupation-wr2011.pdf
	and
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/eia-hb-lha-cpi-uprating-wr2011.pdf
	Estimates for people with specific conditions are not available.

Housing Benefit

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received from (a) people with disabilities and (b) disability charities on the likely effects of changes to housing benefit contained in the Welfare Reform Act 2012 on people with Asperger syndrome.

Steve Webb: We have received a number of representations concerning the effects of housing benefit changes on those with neuro-developmental disorders, although I am not aware of any representations made concerning Asperger syndrome specifically.

Housing Benefit

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of changes to housing benefit contained in the Welfare Reform Act 2012 on people with Asperger syndrome.

Steve Webb: The information is not available.

Housing Benefit: Argyll and Bute

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much housing benefit was paid to tenants of social landlords in Argyll and Bute constituency in each of the last five years; and how much he plans to spend on housing benefit for such tenants in each of the next three years.

Steve Webb: Housing benefit expenditure is only available broken down by local authority, and not parliamentary constituency. The figures for 2010-11 and earlier years are published at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/index.php?page=expenditure
	Figures for 2011-12 will be added on 20 July.
	Forecasts for future years at a local authority level are not available.

Housing Benefit: Lone Parents

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of single parents under the age of 25 in receipt of housing benefit work 16 hours per week or more.

Steve Webb: The information requested is not available.

Housing Benefit: Young People

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people aged between 16 and 25 are recipients of housing benefit in each (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local authority area in (i) England, (ii) Wales and (iii) Scotland; and what the average weekly amount paid is in each area.

Steve Webb: Information is not readily available for housing benefit recipients aged under 25 at parliamentary constituency level, and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
	The information on caseloads and average weekly amounts by local authority has been placed in the Library.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the section on universal credit in his Department's 2011 business plan, for what reasons the aim ‘Launch pilot pathfinder in advance of national rollout' has been changed to ‘launch pathfinder in advance of national rollout', and the completion date changed from March to October 2013; and what the implications are of this change for the pathfinder.

Steve Webb: It is the Department's intention to run a staged pathfinder ahead of the national launch of universal credit. This will trial the process with claimants in a specific location, and then we will move to a gradual national roll-out from October 2013 over a four year period, which is entirely appropriate for such far-reaching changes.
	The pathfinder is not a “pilot” because this is real implementation for a specific group of claimants, and will start to run from April 2013 in the Manchester area. From October 2013 we will begin to take new claims to universal credit from unemployed claimants across every region in Great Britain. This will build up from April 2014 as we phase out new claims to employment and support allowance, income support and housing benefit.

Work Experience

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many graduate internships his Department has provided in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The DWP works in partnership with Cabinet Office to deliver an internship programme for university students in their penultimate or final year of study; this is known as the Summer Diversity Internship Programme. This programme is designed to improve the diversity of the civil service fast stream by giving graduates, from under represented socio economic and diverse backgrounds, a chance to experience the civil service and consider the fast stream as a career path.
	In the 12 months to July 2012 a total of 20 interns took up positions within the Department. The Department has recently offered placements to a further 23 individuals, 18 of whom joined from June 2012.